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COMMODORE   BA1NBRIDGE 


(See  page  164.) 


COMMODORE  BAINBRIDGE 


FROM    THE    GUNROOM    TO    THE    QUARTER-DECK 


JAMES    BARNES 

AUTHOR  OF  MIDSHIPMAN  FARRAGUT,  FOR 
KING  OR  COUNTRY,  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF 
THE  WAR  OF  l8l2,  A  LOYAL  TRAITOR,  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED   BY  GEORGE  GIBBS  AND  OTHERS 


SCIMETAR      PRESENTED      TO      COMMODORE 
BAINBRIDGE   BY   SIDI    MOHAMMED   D'GHIERS 


NEW  YORK 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COiMPANY 
1897 


COPYRIGHT,  1897, 
BY  D.   APPLETON   AND  COMPANY. 


E 
353.1 


PUBLISHER'S  NOTE. 


IT  will  be  of  interest  to  know  that  the  miniature  por- 
trait of  Mrs.  Bainbridge,  the  scimiter  presented  by  Sidi 
Mohammed  D'Ghiers,  and  the  sword  presented  by  General 
Hislop  are  all  reproduced  from  the  originals  in  the  pos- 
session '  of  a  family  descended  from  Commodore  Bain- 
bridge,  which  includes  among  its  number  the  author  of 
this  book.  This  circumstance  readily  suggests  the  ex- 
ceptional opportunities  at  the  author's  command  in  the 
way  of  unpublished  letters  and  papers,  and  in  a  personal 
knowledge,  which  imparts  a  peculiar  actuality  to  the 
scenes  described  in  his  story. 


LIST   OF  FULL-PAGE   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FACING 
PACE 


The  Java  strikes         .         .  .         .         .         .         .          Frontispiece 

Mutiny  on  the  Cantor .         .         .16 

On  the  deck  of  the  Volontier  .         .         .         .. 47 

The  Turkish  admiral  visits  the  Washington 76 

The  miniature  of  Mrs.  Bainbridge  ....                  ...  109 

Decatur  boarding  the  Philadelphia 130 

Watching  the  bombardment  from  the  Tripoli  prison  cell       .         .         .  138 

Action  between  the  Constitution  and  the  Java 163 

Bainbridge's  reception  at  Boston 167 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

JOHN  TAYLOR,  ESQ.,  of  Monmouth  County,  New  Jer- 
sey, was  walking  slowly  along  beneath  the  shade  of  the 
trees  bordering  the  path  that  led  from  the  turnpike  up  to 
the  big  white  house,  an  odd-looking  building  begun  by  his 
father  and  completed  by  himself,  in  an  entirely  different 
style  of  architecture,  a  score  of  years  previous  to  the 
time  this  story  begins.  It  had  an  air  of  ponderous  pros- 
perity. 

As  the  old  gentleman  walked  slowly  up  the  path  he 
took  from  his  pocket  a  letter,  the  seal  of  which  had  already 
been  broken,  and  thrusting  his  gold-headed  stick  beneath 
his  arm,  he  re-read  the  epistle  for  the  second  time. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  stamped  with  the  unmistakable  air 
of  wealth,  respectability,  and  importance.  One  could  see 
that  his  was  a  mind  that  came  to  conclusions  slowly,  and 
in  the  lines  of  his  strongly  marked  old  face  a  close  student 
of  character  would  have  perceived  firmness  and  resolution. 
He  halted  for  an  instant  before  he  stepped  out  into  the 
bright  sunlight  at  the  end  of  the  row  of  trees,  and  finished 
his  letter,  reading  the  last  words  half  aloud: 

"  I  trust,  my  dear  sir,  that  you  will  find  our  son  tract- 
able in  disposition,  willing  and  eager  to  meet  your  views, 
and  obedient  to  your  behests.  Although  he  is  so  young, 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 


his  mother  and  myself  have  discovered  in  him  evidences 
of  a  lofty  temperament,  and  I  am  sure  that  no  lad  could 
wish  for  a  better  promise  for  the  future  than  the  chance 
of  spending  his  early  life  near  one  so  able  to  teach  the 
importance  of  high  moral  sentiments  and  proper  rules 
of  conduct  as  yourself.  I  shall  bring  William  to  you  in 
the  course  of  the  next  fortnight.  Believe  me,  I  am,  most 
honored  sir,  your  very  devoted  son-in-law,  Absalom  Bain- 
bridge." 

When  Mr.  Taylor  reached  the  portico  of  the  house 
he  turned  and  looked  back  toward  the  big  gateway 
and  smiled  broadly  and  pleasantly.  It  was  almost  as 
if  he  had  seen  some  one  whom  he  was  glad  to  welcome 
walking  toward  him,  and  in  his  imagination  the  old 
man  had  pictured  a  boyish  figure  coming  up  the  shaded 
walk. 

Yes,  it  would  be  pleasing  to  have  his  grandson  here; 
the  old  house  had  been  lonely  for  many  years.  It  would 
be  a  delightful  task  to  again  feel  a  young  mind  expanding 
under  his  control,  for  John  Taylor  was  one  of  those  nat- 
ural-born instructors,  a  man  with  a  gift  of  imparting  in- 
formation and  controlling  character. 

As  he  stood  there  mopping  his  forehead  with  a  large 
handkerchief,  and  smoothing  back  the  thin,  gray  hair  tied 
in  a  long  queue  down  his  back,  his  thoughts  were  inter- 
rupted by  the  approach  of  a  little  dried-up  individual 
whose  appearance  showed  that  he  occupied  a  position 
above  that  of  a  servant;  but  his  manner  was  respectful, 
and  was  that  of  one  well  accustomed  to  Mr.  Taylor's 
peculiarities.  He  coughed  gently  to  attract  the  old  gen- 
tleman's attention. 

"  Ah,  Fenwick  ! "  exclaimed  the  latter,  turning. 
"  Good  news!  My  grandson  is  coming  to  us  inside  of  a 
fortnight." 

"  I  am  very  glad  of  that,  sir,"  was  the  reply.     "  I  was 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


much  taken  with  the  young  gentleman  at  my  first  sight 
of  him,  sir." 

With  that  the  two  old  men  entered  the  house. 

Two  weeks  later  a  heavy,  clumsy-looking  coach  rolled 
down  the  Middletown  turnpike  and  stopped  at  the  big 
gate  of  the  Taylor  place,  and  a  boy  of  about  thirteen  years 
of  age  clambered  down  from  the  top.  His  box  was  handed 
to  the  roadside  by  the  guard,  and  he  stood  there  looking 
across  the  lawn  at  the  great  white  house  that  seemed  to 
smile  a  welcome  from  its  wide-open  doors  and  windows. 
There  was  no  shade  of  sadness  or  despondency  in  the 
boy's  face;  he  looked  eagerly  through  the  gateway  as  if 
expecting  some  one  to  come  and  meet  him,  and  at  this 
instant  two  figures  appeared  upon  the  veranda.  His 
grandfather's  appearance  was  well  known  to  him,  and  al- 
though too  far  off  to  speak  a  word,  he  lifted  his  hat  in 
a  salutation  at  long"  range.  Soon  the  old  gentleman  came 
hurrying  down  to  meet  him,  accompanied  by  a  servant, 
who  shouldered  the  box  and  followed  his  master  and  the 
newcomer  back  to  the  house. 

"  Mother  sends  her  love  to  you  and  my  father  sends 
assurances  of  his  deep  regard,  and  regrets  that  it  was  im- 
possible for  him,  owing  to  his  practice,  sir,  to  accompany 
me,"  said  the  boy  gravely,  after  the  first  words  of  greeting. 

"  And  they  are  all  well?  "  inquired  Mr.  Taylor  kindly, 
but  speaking  as  though  he  were  addressing  a  man  of 
mature  age  and  understanding. 

"  All  well,  sir,  I  am  glad  to  say." 

"  And  so  you  wish  to  study  to  become  a  merchant, 
or  mayhap  a  lawyer,  eh,  William?  " 

"  I  had  rather  be  a  sailor,  sir." 

"  Highty-tighty!  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Taylor,  lifting  his 
eyebrows;  "  and  what  put  such  an  idea  as  that  into  your 
head?  " 

"  I  thought  about  it  a  great  deal,  grandfather,"  the  lad 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


answered.  "  In  fact,  ever  since  we  came  to  New  York 
I  have  liked  to  think  of  going  to  sea." 

"  What  does  your  father  say  to  it,  William?  " 

"  He  says  I'm  too  young  to  decide  what  I  want;  but 
I  haven't  spoken  to  him  about  it  for  a  long  time  now." 

"  Then  you  would  rather  be  a  sailor  and  have  to  en- 
dure all  the  hardships  of  his  precarious  calling  than  to 
be  a  merchant  and  have  dry  ground  under  your  feet,  and 
a  safe  living  always  in  peace  and  comfort?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  think  so." 

"  Well,  well!  "  smiled  the  old  man,  a  little  nonplused  at 
his  grandson's  calm  frankness.  "  We'll  see  about  all 
this  after  a  while;  perhaps  you  will  change  your  mind." 

"  I  think  not,  sir." 

"  We'll  see,"  responded  the  grandfather.  Then  he 
went  on  to  ask  questions  of  the  boy  about  his  studies, 
his  progress  in  the  classics  and  languages,  and  to  his 
delight  he  found  him  responsive  and  eager  to  learn. 

Before  the  day  was  over  John  Taylor's  heart  went  out 
to  the  son  of  his  only  daughter,  and  a  great  affection  grew 
between  them,  to  ripen  into  trust  and  confidence  never 
to  be  displaced.  And  thus  it  is  easy  to  perceive  that 
young  William  Bainbridge's  changing  his  home  from  that 
of  his  father,  a  hard-working  physician  in  New  York  city, 
to  the  shelter  of  the  mansion  of  his  maternal  grandfather 
augured  well  for  his  future  career  in  life. 

Two  very  uneventful  years  followed  in  the  peaceful 
New  Jersey  town.  Studying  with  his  grandfather  and 
the  village  schoolmaster,  young  Bainbridge  made  great 
progress,  'and  endeared  himself  to  all  those  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact.  But  there  is  not  space  to  tell  of 
these  early  school  days  that  flew  by  as  quickly  with  Wil- 
liam as  they  do  with  every  boy.  That  unalterable  in- 
clination toward  the  life  of  a  seafarer  had  led  him  upon 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 


more  than  one  occasion  respectfully  to  petition  his  parents 
and  Mr.  Taylor  to  grant  him  an  opportunity  of  taking 
up  early  a  profession  in  which  sooner  or  later  he  be- 
lieved he  would  find  himself.  He  dreamed  of  ships  and 
the  sea. 

Although  Mr.  Taylor  had  nothing  to  complain  of  in 
regard  to  the  way  he  attended  to  his  duties  and  pursued 
his  studies,  with  great  wisdom  he  saw  at  last  that  it  would 
be  best  to  grant  the  boy's  request,  and,  instead  of  hinder- 
ing him  in  fulfilling  the  wishes  of  his  heart,  he  concluded, 
not  without  sorrow  and  some  misgivings,  to  give  him  a 
good  start,  and  place  him  in  a  position  to  make  the  best 
of  any  opportunities  for  advancement.  To  this  end  he 
wrote  to  Dr.  Bainbridge  a  letter  that  surprised  the  good 
physician  into  an  expression  of  astonishment,  for  it  advo- 
cated placing  William  under  the  charge  and  patronage 
of  a  "  respectable  and  intelligent  commander "  whom 
Grandfather  Taylor  knew  was  soon  about  to  sail  from 
Philadelphia. 

"  We  had  better  let  the  lad  follow  his  inclinations — a 
determined  spirit  may  be  broken,  but  not  bent,"  read  the 
letter.  "  Let  him  go  to  sea." 

After  some  delay  and  much  discussion,  this  was 
agreed  to,  and  William,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  started  for 
Philadelphia  with  a  letter  in  his  pocket  introducing  him 
to  Captain  Waldron,  well  known  as  one  of  the  most  care- 
ful and  painstaking  officers  then  sailing  out  of  the  port 
of  Philadelphia. 

The  good  ship  Ariel  was  his  vessel,  and,  although  she 
was  small,  she  had  made  many  voyages,  and  had  the  repu- 
tation of  being  a  lucky  ship  with  all  the  seamen — a  point 
in  her  favor  that  offset  her  small  size  in  securing  a  good 
crew. 

Thus  far  this  introductory  chapter  deals  but  slightly 
with  the  personal  qualifications  or  the  appearance  of  the 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


hero  of  the  succeeding  tale,  so  before  we  follow  him 
in  his  numerous  adventures  a  few  words  are  not  amiss. 
He  was  a  tall  boy  for  his  age,  with  a  dignified,  quiet  man- 
ner, gentlemanly  bearing,  and  a  low,  modulated  voice. 
He  was  strong  and  active  and  of  an  adventurous  dis- 
position. In  every  boyish  enterprise  where  peril  was  to  be 
encountered,  he  had  been  the  leader  of  his  youthful 
comrades  and  many  stories  of  his  school  days  might 
be  recounted.  But  we  skip  over  the  early  life  at  Mid- 
dletown  to  the  very  day  on  which  began  the  career  that 
has  made  his  name  famous  among  those  "  who  go  down 
to  the  sea  in  ships,"  and  made  him,  moreover,  a  model  for 
the  young  American  sailor  to  look  up  to. 

Fenwick,  Mr.  Taylor's  confidential  clerk  and  general 
major-domo,  accompanied  William  on  the  way  to  Phila- 
delphia. If  there  was  one  thing  that  the  wizened  little 
man  objected  to,  it  was  the  idea  that  any  one  in  whom 
he  felt  an  interest  should  display  such  a  lack  of  apprecia- 
tion as  to  choose  to  adopt  the  life  of  a  seaman.  And 
so  William  was  compelled  to  listen  to  a  long  lecture,  and 
many  mournful  predictions  as  to  what  might  become  of 
him  after  leaving  good  dry  land. 

He  dreamed  of  the  numerous  dangers  that  Fenwick 
had  called  up  to  his  mind — shipwreck  and  disaster,  pirates 
and  icebergs — but  awoke  the  next  morning  undeterred 
and  eager.  He  parted  from  his  old  friend  at  Burton's 
Coffee  House  after  a  hasty  breakfast,  and  all  alone  he 
walked  to  the  water  front,  to  present  himself  to  Cap- 
tain Waldron  on  board  the  Ariel,  then  almost  ready  to 
set  sail. 


CHAPTER  II. 

"  WELL,  my  young  gentleman,"  said  Captain  Waldron, 
looking  up  from  a  letter  that  he  had  just  finished  reading, 
"  this  is  no  time  to  make  a  speech  to  you;  in  fact  we  are 
so  busy  that  I  have  hardly  time  for  more  than  a  few  words, 
but  those  are  words  of  welcome.  We  are  glad  to  have 
you  aboard.  And  I  can  promise  you  that  you  will  have 
every  opportunity  given  you  to  show  what  you  are 
made  of." 

He  surveyed  young  Bainbridge  from  head  to  foot,  and 
then  turning  to  one  of  the  sailors,  he  directed  him  to 
take  the  little  sea  chest  down  below  and  show  the  young 
gentleman  where  he  was  to  swing  his  hammock. 

A  great  many  captains  in  those  days  took  out  with 
them  upon  their  voyages  young  boys  who  had  shown  a  pre- 
dilection for  the  sea,  instructing  them  in  seamanship  and 
navigation,  and  thus  many  of  the  larger  vessels  were  prac- 
tically school-ships  that  turned  out  many  young  officers 
who  afterward  became  famous  in  the  service  of  their 
country,  for,  most  unfortunately,  the  regular  navy,  during 
the  ten  years  that  followed  the  cessation  of  hostilities 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  had 
dwindled  into  nothing. 

Captain  Waldron's .  vessel  was  not  large  enough  to 
accommodate  many  young  gentlemen,  and  upon  this  voy- 
age Bainbridge  found  himself  the  only  scholar. 

"  That's  a  likely  youngster,"  observed  the  captain  to 
his  first  mate,  his  eyes  following  William's  figure  as  it  dis- 

7 


8  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

appeared  down  the  companion  way.  "  I  can  tell  by  the 
looks  of  a  lad  how  he's  going  to  move.  He's  quick- 
handed  and  quick-witted,  mark  my  words,  Mr.  Seth. 
There's  a  topman  and  an  officer,  too,  in  the  make-up  of 
him." 

Mr.  Seth  was  not  altogether  an  optimistic  person. 
He  was  curt  and  short-spoken  in  his  manner,  and  a  be- 
liever in  the  hard  school  from  which  he  had  graduated, 
for  he  had  worked  his  way  from  the  forecastle  to  the 
quarter-deck,  and  had  not  "  come  in  through  the  cabin 
window,"  as  he  expressed  it. 

"  Three  weeks  at  sea  will  show  us  more  about  the 
lad,"  he  observed.  "  But  I  confess,  sir,  I  rather  like  the 
cut  of  his  jib  myself." 

"  I  wish  you  to  give  him  every  opportunity,  Mr.  Seth." 

"  Be  easy  on  that  score,  sir,"  Mr.  Seth  made  answer. 
"  He  will  not  be  neglected." 

And  this  was  a  fact.  Before  the  Ariel  was  four  weeks 
from  land  young  Bainbridge  had  proved,  even  to  the 
first  mate's  satisfaction,  that  the  choice  of  his  calling  had 
not  been  made  haphazard.  He  could  lay  upon  the  yard 
with  the  best  of  them.  His  work  was  thoroughly  done, 
and  he  kept  his  eyes  and  ears  open  to  such  good  advan- 
tage that  even  before  the  return  voyage  was  over  he  was 
no  longer  counted  a  green  hand,  and  had  lost  all  traits 
that  mark  the  landsman. 

Captain  Waldron  was  delighted.  Although  not  given 
to  praising,  upon  one  occasion,  when  Bainbridge  had  sur- 
prised him  by  his  alertness  and  good  judgment,  he  placed 
his  hands  on  the  boy's  shoulder. 

"  My  son,"  he  said,  "  some  youngsters  I've  advised  to 
go  home  and  seek  a  place  in  the  counting  house,  some 
few  to  return  to  their  mothers,  but  the  sea  is  the  place  for 
you,  there's  no  mistaking." 

Thus  when  Bainbridge  returned  home  from  his  maiden 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


voyage  his  family  found  him  well  launched  in  his  career, 
and  Grandfather  Taylor  did  not  regret  the  fact  that  he 
had  been  instrumental  in  helping  to  provide  the  mer- 
chant service  with  so  proficient  a  candidate  for  honors. 

For  three  years  he  sailed  with  his  good  friend  Cap- 
tain Waldron,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  the  latter  wrote 
to  the  firm  that  owned  the  Ariel,  stating  that,  if  they 
wished  to  keep  the  services  of  young  Bainbridge,  they 
had  better  offer  him  a  berth  aft  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment,  despite  the  fact  of  his  extreme  youth.  The 
captain  concluded  by  saying  that  he  should  have  been 
glad  to  take  him  out  with  him  as  first  officer  on  his  next 
voyage,  but,  he  added,  he  was  reluctantly  compelled  to 
stay  on  shore  for  some  months,'  and  he  bespoke  for  his 
young  charge  the  first  vacant  position  that  could  be 
found  on  any  ship  of  the  company  that  might  be  sailing. 

William  was  paying  a  visit  to  the  parents  in  New  York 
when  he  received  the  notice  of  his  appointment  as  first 
mate  of  the  ship  Cantor,  sailing  in  the  Holland  trade. 
His  stay  on  shore  was  cut  short,  and  he  hurried  to  Phila- 
delphia to  assume  his  post. 

Before  young  Bainbridge  had  been  on  board  of  the 
Cantor  half  an  hour  he  found  that  his  position  was  to  be 
very  different  from  that  of  first  mate  on  the  vessel  on 
which  he  had  previously  served.  It  needed  but  a  glance 
at  the  crew  to  determine  that  the  men  were  a  bad  lot, 
and  the  captain  was  not  the  man  to  have  been  placed 
in  charge  of  them.  He  was  undersized,  and  did  not  pos- 
sess an  air  of  authority. 

It  was  the  day  previous  to  sailing,  but  the  crew,  at 
least  those  of  them  that  were  on  board,  were  in  various 
stages  of  intoxication.  The  cargo  had  been  stowed,  and 
Captain  Stebbins  was  waiting  for  the  tide,  to  set  sail 
on  the  following  morning. 

Bainbridge  looked  older  than  his  years.     He  stood 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 


five  feet  eleven  inches,  and  weighed  about  one  hundred 
and  eighty  pounds.  His  broad  shoulders  and  deep  chest, 
and  the  tremendous  strength  of  his  arms  and  back,  to- 
gether with  the  fearless  glance  of  his  eye,  gave  him  the 
appearance  of  being  at  least  four  or  five  years  older  than 
he  really  was.  But  he  longed  for  Captain  Waldron  and 
Mr.  Seth,  and  his  fears  that  there  might  be  trouble 
before  long  were  verified  by  the  first  words  spoken  by 
Captain  Stebbins  after  their  greeting. 

"  Glad  to  see  you,  Mr.  Bainbridge,  and  I  might  as  well 
tell  you  that  I  am  agreeably  disappointed,  sir.  I  had 
been  told  that  you  were  but  a  lad  who  had  secured  this 
appointment  through  family  influence.  It  will  be  a  man's 
job  to  handle  that  lot  of  cutthroats — just  look  at  them!  " 

Bainbridge  glanced  at  the  forecastle  where  three  or 
four  surly,  hangdog-looking  villains  were  sitting  with  their 
backs  against  the  rail.  Then  he  looked  at  Captain  Steb- 
bins's  irresolute  face,  and  again  at  the  group  on  the 
forecastle.  One  of  the  men  at  this  moment  produced  a 
big  black  bottle  and,  without  any  effort  at  concealment, 
passed  it  to  his  comrades.  Each  one  of  them  took  a  pull, 
and  the  last  half-insolently  hejd  the  bottle  up  to  the 
light  and  said  in  words  loud  enough  to  be  heard  well  aft: 

"  Here's  to  the  young  gentleman  on  the  quarter-deck." 

"  Hadn't  you  better  stop  that,  sir?  "  inquired  Bain- 
bridge politely  of  the  captain. 

The  latter  turned  his  head  away. 

"  I'm  afraid  to  attempt  it,  Mr.  Bainbridge,  just  now; 
'twas  hard  enough  to  get  a  crew  as  it  is.  In  fact,  I  had  to 
pay  them  something  in  advance,  and  I  fear  me  they  would 
leave  the  ship — wait  till  we  get  to  sea.  We  can't  pre- 
vent it  now." 

.  "  I  think  I  can  prevent  it,  sir,"  Bainbridge  answered 
quietly,  "  if  you  will  allow  me  to  make  the  attempt.  Are 
they  all  on  board?  " 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  n 

"  All  but  two.  I  suppose  they'll  come  on  board  to- 
night drunk  as  the  others." 

It  was  indeed  a  bad  lookout.  But  the  young  officer's 
temper  had  risen. 

"  I  should  like  to  make  the  attempt  to  put  a  stop  to 
it,  sir,  if  I  may,  during  my  watch." 

"  Very  good;  then  it's  your  watch  now,"  answered 
the  captain,  a  little  provoked  and  showing  it  plainly.  "  I 
shall  be  below." 

"  Will  you  tell  me  the  names  of  the  men  as  they  sit 
there,  sir?  " 

The  captain  answered,  speaking  in  a  whisper,  giving 
the  names  of  the  men  in  order.  The  fellow  who  had  pro- 
posed the  insolent  toast  answered  to  the  sobriquet  of 
"  Whisky  Jack,"  but  his  real  name  was  Monson. 

No  sooner  had  the  captain  disappeared  than  Bain- 
bridge  walked  forward  to  the  mast. 

"  Monson,"  he  called,  "  step  aft  here,  my  man." 

The  sailor  lurched  unsteadily  to  his  feet,  and,  followed 
by  all  of  his  companions  (there  were  six  of  them),  obeyed 
the  order  with  a  leer  on  his  sodden  countenance. 

"  The  rest  of  you  stay  forward;  I  want  to  speak  to  this 
lad  alone." 

It  was  rather  a  strange  thing  for  a  boy  of  eighteen 
to  address  a  man  of  at  least  forty  in  these  terms,  but  there 
was  no  mistaking  the  import  of  his  tone.  A  sailor  knows 
quicker  than  any  other  man  when  he  meets  his  master,  and 
the  rest  halted  waiting  to  see  what  Whisky  Jack  would 
do.  Bainbridge  did  not  speak  a  word.  With  his  arms 
folded  he  looked  the  approaching  man  full  in  the  face. 
The  latter  shuffled  uneasily  as  he  attempted  to  reply  to 
the  first  mate's  steady  gaze.  The  leer  faded  from  his  face, 
and  slowly  his  fingers  rose  to  his  forehead. 

"  Well,  sir?  "  he  said  thickly. 

"  Fetch  me  that  bottle." 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


"What  bottle,  sir?" 

There  was  no  reply  for  an  instant.  Bainbridge's  face 
had  a  dangerous,  set  expression,  but  he  repeated  his 
order,  if  anything  more  quietly  and  calmly  than  before. 

"  Fetch  me  that  bottle!  " 

The  man  turned  and  walked  forward. 

"  The  young  gentleman  wants  a  drink,  Bill,"  he  said, 
as  if  trying  to  keep  up  appearances.  "  Let's  let  him 
have  it." 

The  fellow  addressed  as  Bill  grinned,  and  produced 
the  bottle  from, his  jacket,  and  Monson  again  walked  up 
to  his  officer.  Bainbridge  extended  his  hand. 

"  Give  it  me,"  he  said. 

With  a  last  attempt  at  bravado  the  sailor  began  to 
remove  the  cork. 

"  Never  mind  that,"  and  with  a  quick  movement  the 
bottle  was  snatched  from  his  grasp  and  tossed  over  the 
rail. 

"  Now,  below,  every  man-jack  of  you!  "  thundered  the 
first  mate,  stepping  forward. 

It  was  very  wonderful  indeed,  almost  past  believing, 
in  fact,  but  the  discomfited  group  had  no  time  to  parley. 
Without  a  question  they  stumbled  down  the  forward 
hatch. 

The  vessel  yet  lay  moored  alongside  the  wharf,  and  her 
rail  was  lower  than  the  stringpiece. 

"  Well  done,  sir!  This  is  Mr.  Bainbridge,  I  presume," 
exclaimed  some  one,  and  looking  up,  William  saw  that  an 
elderly  man  dressed  in  a  rough  sailor  jacket  was  looking 
down  at  him. 

"  I'm  Mr.  Taft,  second  mate,  sir,"  said  the  man,  bend- 
ing forward  and  climbing  down  to  the  vessel's  deck. 
'  That's  the  way  to  treat  those  drunken  rascals.  I'm 
glad  to  see  it,  sir,  and  I'd  have  begun  it  long  ago  myself 
if  Captain  Stebbins " 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  13 

"  I  was  acting  under  Captain  Stebbins's  orders,"  inter- 
rupted Bainbridge,  not  wishing  to  discuss  the  actions  of 
his  commanding  officer.  "  When  will  the  rest  of  the  crew 
be  on  board,  Mr.  Taft?" 

"  They're  coming  down  the  wharf  now,"  the  second 
officer  made  reply,  "  drunk  as  fiddlers." 

And  no  sooner  had  he  spoken  than  two  more  hard- 
featured  individuals  were  seen  climbing  unsteadily  down 
on  to  the  forecastle. 

"  Monson,"  said  Bainbridge,  turning  quickly  to  the 
sailor  who  had  waited  at  the  mainmast,  "  tell  those  men 
that  I  wish  to  speak  to  them." 

With  a  look  almost  of  admiration,  Whisky  Jack  obeyed 
the  order. 

"  See  here,  my  bullies,"  he  exclaimed  in  an  undertone 
to  the  other  two,  "  we  are  not  going  to  have  such  an  easy 
time  of  it  after  all.  There's  an  officer  on  board  this  ship. 
He  wants  to  speak  to  you.  Don't  give  him  any  back  talk; 
won't  do  for  a  minute." 

The  two  sailors  came  aft. 

"  Monson,"  said  Bainbridge,  "  search  these  men." 

Two  more  bottles  of  whisky  went  overboard. 

At  this  juncture  Captain  Stebbins  came  on  deck.  The 
first  mate  had  given  a  glance  at  the  weather  vane  that 
surmounted  a  flagstaff  on  top  of  one  of  the  near-by  build- 
ings. He  remembered  a  bit  of  seamanship  that  he  had 
seen  Captain  Waldron  successfully  execute  when  lying 
at  a  wharf.  A  light  breeze  was  blowing  from  just  the  right 
direction.  It  would  require  no  warping  for  the  Cantor 
to  back  out  of  her  slip. 

"  Had  we  not  better  get  out  into  the  stream  and  an- 
chor, sir?  "  Bainbridge  asked,  then  perceiving  for  the  first 
time  that  Stebbins  was  suffering  from  the  same  ailment 
that  affected  the  crew.  But  his  head  was  clear  enough  to 
grasp  the  idea  that  had  entered  Bainbridge's  mind. 


i4  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

."  Perhaps  we  had,"  he  acquiesced. 

The  second  mate  sprang  on  the  dock,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  Monson  cast  off  the  moorings;  the  two 
sailors  who  were  sober  enough  to  have  some  of  their  wits 
still  about  them  were  sent  aloft,  and- soon  the,  mizzen 
topsail  was  laid  against  the  mast,  then  with  the  assist- 
ance of  the  current  the  little  ship  gained  sternway  and  fell 
off  into  the  stream.  Scarcely  had  the  end  of  her  flying 
jib  boom  cleared  the  pier  head  when  those  of  the  crew  who 
were  below  in  the  forecastle  came  rushing  up  on  deck. 

But  another  surprise  was  in  store  for  the  first  officer. 
Captain  Stebbins,  irritated  that  he  should  have  appeared 
to  have  lost  authority,  burst  into  a  torrent  of  profanity. 
The  men  came  crowding  down  to  the  waist.  One  of 
them  detached  a  belaying  pin  from  the  bitts.  It  looked 
like  mutiny.  Bainbridge  stepped  to  the  captain's  side. 

"  I  understood  you  to  say  this  is  my  watch,  sir,"  he 
said  quietly. 

Stebbins  glanced  at  him,  and  without  another  word 
went  down  into  the  cabin. 

One  of  the  foremast  hands  had  constituted  himself 
spokesman.  He  was  of  that  type  so  feared  by  officers  of 
ships — a  natural  disturber,  a  born  loafer  and  sea  lawyer, 
breeder  of  trouble  in  the  forecastle. 

"  We're  not  on  the  high  seas  yet,  my  Bucko,"  he  said 
defiantly,  "  and  we're  not  to  sail  until  to-morrow  morn- 
ing. We  have  a  right  to  go  ashore." 

"  Can  you  swim?  "  asked  Bainbridge  quietly.  "  If  so, 
overboard  with  you,  and  be  quick  about  it.  Come,  now, 
are  you  ready?  " 

The  man  looked  over  the  side.  It  was  February;  the 
river  was  yet  filled  with  floating  cakes  of  ice. 

'Too  cold,  eh?"  Bainbridge  went  on;  "well,  then. 
go  forward.  All  hands  get  ready  to  drop  starboard 
anchor." 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  15 

Whisky  Jack  was  among  the  first  to  obey,  and  in 
surly  fashion  the  others  followed  suit.  They  had  found 
out,  as  he  had  said,  that  there  was  "  an  officer  on  board," 
and  no  mistake. 

The  first  mate  was  very  tired  the  next  morning  at 
daybreak  when  the  anchor  was  weighed,  for  he  had  not 
closed  his  eyes  all  night,  and  as  soon  as  the  vessel  was 
under  way  he  sought  his  berth  and  fell  into  a  troubled 
slumber.  He  could  see  that  all  the  seafaring  he  had 
done  was  but  child's  play  to  the  experience  that  was 
probably  before  him.  In  these  surmisings  he  was  correct. 

Bad  weather  was  encountered  during  the  first  two 
weeks  in  the  open  sea,  and  so  busy  were  the  crew  handling 
the  vessel  when  on  watch,  and  so  wearied  were  they 
when  below,  that  little  time  was  found  for  grumbling.  It 
had  not  taken  William  very  long  to  perceive  one  reason 
at  least  why  it  had  been  so  difficult  for  the  Cantor  to 
secure  a  better  crew.  The  vessel  was  small,  scarcely  more 
than  three  hundred  tons  burden,  and  Captain  Stebbins 
had  received  rather  a  bad  name. 

It  was  easy  to  see  that  he  was  not  so  much  of  a  martinet 
or  a  driver  as  a  "  nagger  "  ;  although  of  rather  a  cowardly 
disposition,  he  was  great  on  bluster,  threats,  and  profanity, 
and  when  good  weather  was  met  with,  instead  of  relax- 
ing a  little,  owing  to  the  hard  time  that  had  just  been 
gone  through  with,  he  kept  the  men  hard  at  it — first 
one  thing  and  then  another,  and  rating  them  severely 
on  the  slightest  provocation.  It  almost  appeared  as  if  he 
did  this  to  retrieve  what  he  thought  he  might  have  lost 
by  his  timid  behavior  when  in  port. 

But  at  last  they  reached  the  English  Channel,  and 
dropped  anchor  in  the  roadstead  of  Rotterdam.  On  the 
second  day  of  their  arrival  more  trouble  occurred.  They 
had  passed  the  customs  and  were  going  to  begin  the 
unloading  of  the  vessel  when  an  affair  took  place  that 


16  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

came  near  relieving  the  old  ship  of  her  rather  obnoxious 
commander  in  a  summary  way. 

How  the  men  had  obtained  anything  to  drink  Bain- 
bridge  never  found  out;  probably  from  some  of  the  small 
boats  that  were  rowing  about,  for  none  of  the  crew  had 
been  permitted  to  go  ashore,  the  captain  having  landed 
in  a  small  boat  he  had  hailed  from  the  quarter-deck.  He 
had  returned  to  the  ship  late  in  the  evening.  Bainbridge 
had  been  below  in  his  berth  writing  a  letter  in  order  to 
send  it  back  by  a  vessel  nearly  ready  to  set  sail,  when 
suddenly  there  came  from  the  deck  above  a  sound  of 
scuffling  feet. 

What  possessed  him  to  think  of  danger  he  did  not 
know,  but  reaching  up  to  the  rack  above  his  head  he  drew 
forth  a  brace  of  heavy  pistols  and  hurried  out.  At  the 
door  of  the  cabin  he  ran  into  Monson,  almost  knocking 
him  full  length  against  the  ladder,  so  great  was  his  haste 
to  gain  the  deck. 

"What  are  you  doing  here,  you  rascal?"  he  cried, 
helping  the  man  to  his  feet. 

Whisky  Jack  was  very  drunk. 

"  Hurry,  sir,"  he  said  thickly.  "  I  ain't  no  talebearer, 
but  there'll  be  dirty  work  up  there  in  a  minute." 

A  muffled  cry  for  help  reached  the  first  mate's  ears. 
In  two  bounds  he  was  on  deck.  It  was  almost  pitch  dark, 
but  there  was  light  enough  to  see  a  confused  struggle 
off  to  the  port  side  against  the  rail,  and  in  the  rays  from 
the  anchor  light  he  noticed  Mr.  Taft  fighting  furiously  in 
the  arms  of  two  of  the  strongest  members  of  the  crew. 
One  of  them  had  wound  his  arms  about  the  second  mate's 
throat,  and  was  almost  throttling  him,  while  the  other 
was  attempting  to  pinion  his  arms  down  to  his  sides. 
The  old  man  was  no  match  for  them,  and  it  would  have 
been  all  up  in  another  moment  if  it  had  not  been  for 
Bainbridge's  opportune  appearance.  He  grasped  one  of 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  17 

the  heavy  pistols  by  the  barrel  and  brought  the  butt  down 
upon  the  nearest  sailor's  head.  At  this  same  instant  he 
caught  the  other  by  the  back  of  his  collar  and  gave  him 
a  twist  that  set  him  off  his  feet;  the  man  tripped  and 
disappeared  backward  down  the  hatchway.  Bainbridge's 
eyes  had  become  better  accustomed  to  the  darkness  by 
this  time,  and  he  saw  that  another  struggling  group  was 
centered  about  a  prostrate  figure  on  the  deck. 

"  Don't  use  your  knife,  you  fool,"  grunted  some  one 
thickly;  "just  heave  him  overboard." 

The  first  mate's  onslaught  was  so  sudden  and  so  un- 
expected that  even  he  himself  afterward  marveled  at  the 
results  of  it.  There  were  five  men  against  one,  for  the 
second  mate  had  not  yet  recovered  himself  sufficiently 
to  render  assistance.  Two  of  the  mutineers  went  down 
under  two  separate  strokes  of  the  heavy  pistol.  The  men 
were  too  drunk  to  do  much  fighting,  and  even  at  the  best, 
Bainbridge  would  have  been  equal  to  both  of  them;  but 
as  he  turned  from  giving  the  last  blow  his  foot  slipped 
and  he  fell  forward  on  one  knee.  At  this  instant  he  saw 
standing  above  him  one  of  the  men  with  an  open  sheath 
knife  in  his  hand.  Quickly  he  raised  the  other  pistol  and 
pulled  the  trigger;  the  powder  only  flashed  in  the  pan, 
and  the  knife  descended  at  him  viciously.  But  the  point 
struck  one  of  the  buttons  of  his  coat,  and,  being  deflected, 
entered  the  cloth  and  ripped  it  open  the  full  length. 

But  help  came  from  an  unexpected  quarter.  Whisky 
Jack  made  his  way  on  deck,  and  probably  could  not  have 
explained  why  he  had  chosen  the  weapon  that  he  had, 
but  a  heavy  bucket  can  do  a  great  deal  of  damage  when 
swung  by  a  strong  arm,  and  the  blow  that  Jack  delivered 
upon  the  head  of  the  would-be  assassin  put  him  out  of  the 
fight. 

Mr.  Taft  had  gathered  himself  together,  and,  armed 
with  a  belaying  pin,  laid  one  of  the  two  remaining  sea- 


i8  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


men  on  the  deck  with  a  blow  that  opened  his  head  and 
nearly  was  the  end  of  him.  The  last  man,  who  was  the 
soberest,  cried  for  mercy. 

Captain  Stebbins  managed  to  get  to  his  feet.  He  had 
been  frightfully  mauled  and  was  trembling  so  he  could 
hardly  stand;  but  the  mutiny  was  over,  and  in  five  minutes 
the  three  ringleaders,  who  were  the  least  hurt,  were  below 
in  irons. 

This  was  an  end  of  the  trouble  for  some  time,  but  when 
the  Cantor  was  ready  for  her  return  voyage  Stebbins  re- 
fused to  sail  and  resigned  command  of  her.  Although 
exceedingly  short-handed,  Bainbridge  agreed  to  bring  her 
back  to  America,  which  he  successfully  accomplished,  land- 
ing in  Philadelphia  in  the  latter  part  of  June. 

But  although  he  said  nothing,  the  story  of  his  manly 
conduct  and  his  display  of  nautical  skill  on  the  return 
voyage  reached  the  ears  of  the  owners  of  the  ship,  and 
in  conversation  with  him  before  he  left  for  a  short  visit 
to  his  family  in  New  York,  the  senior  partner  offered  him 
command  of  the  vessel  on  her  next  voyage  if  he  wished 
to  accept  the  position. 

When  William  returned  home,  he  found  that  his 
younger  brother  Joseph  had  also  decided  to  take  up  the 
sea  as  a  vocation,  and  was  then  absent  on  his  first  cruise 
to  South  America. 


CHAPTER  III. 

So  we  find  Bainbridge  a  full-fledged  commander  at  the 
early  age  of  nineteen.  At  his  suggestion,  some  alterations 
were  made  in  the  Cantor's  rig  that  improved  her  sailing 
qualities  in  a  great  measure,  and,  odd  to  relate,  when  it 
came  to  shipping  a  crew,  Monson  was  one  of  the  first  to 
make  application;  and  when  it  came  to  sailing,  it  was 
evident  that  he  had  taken  pains  to  turn  up  particularly 
clean  and  sober. 

Three  successful  cruises  were  made  without  occur- 
rences of  much  importance — one  to  Haarlem,  one  into  the 
Mediterranean,  and  one  south  to  Brazil.  Upon  his  return 
from  the  last,  Bainbridge  spent  some  time  ashore,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1796  he  was  offered  the  command  of  the  ship 
Hope,  a  new  vessel  belonging  to  the  same  firm  by  which 
he  had  always  been  employed.  And  in  June  of  this  year 
we  find  him  lying  at  anchor  in  the  Garonne  opposite 
Bordeaux. 

His  vessel  was  one  of  the  neatest  in  the  harbor;  all 
the  metal  shone,  the  decks  where  white  and  clean,  and 
the  paint  work  bright  and  well  touched  off.  He  had  been 
most  happy  in  securing  good  crews  to  work  with  him, 
and  he  had  found  out  that  to  make  a  sailor  contented 
he  must  be  well  fed  and  kept  busy. 

His  first  officer  was  the  same  Mr.  Seth  whom  he  had 
sailed  with  in  the  Ariel,  and  his  second  was  a  young 
Yankee,  named  Beebe,  but  a  few  years  older  than  him- 
self, who  hailed  from  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  an 
adventurous  fellow  and  a  good  all-around  sailorman. 

19 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


There  were  a  number  of  American  ships  in  port  at  the 
time,  and  one  fine  day  Bainbridge  called  away  his  gig  and 
rowed  off  to  a  large  ship  half  again  the  size  of  his  own,  the 
Lafayette,  of  Boston,  whose  captain,  Richard  Samuelson, 
was  an  old  sailor  of  Revolutionary  fame.  He  was  giving 
a  dinner  to  the  officers  of  the  American  vessels  on  this 
particular  afternoon,  and  the  talk  about  the  table  was 
mainly  upon  one  subject,  an  all-engrossing  one  to  the 
Yankee  mariner — the  high-handed  behavior  of  Great 
Britain  on  the  seas!  There  was  not  one  of  them  who  did 
not  have  some  tale  to  tell  of  having  had  his  vessel  stopped 
and  good  seamen  taken  from  him  by  the  display  of  supe- 
rior force,  to  begin  a  life  of  slavery  on  board  of  one  of  the 
great  floating  fortresses  of  King  George. 

"  What  are  we  going  to  do,  gentlemen,  may  I  ask?  " 
said  one  of  the  younger  captains  from  the  foot  of  the 
table.  "  Remonstrance  is  worse  than  useless.  Our  repre- 
sentatives at  St.  James's  Court  can  accomplish  nothing. 
We  have  no  vessels  of  the  regular  navy  to  enforce  respect. 
We  are  completely  at  the  mercy  of  these  sea  robbers — 
confusion  to  them!  And  so  far  as  I  can  see  there  is  no 
ending  to  it." 

"  It  is  the  solemn  truth,"  put  in  another.  "  I've  lost 
five  men  in  the  last  two  voyages,  and  would  probably 
have  lost  two  more  if  my  little  brig  couldn't  leg  it  pretty 
well,  I  can  tell  you.  They  took  my  third  mate,  a  man 
who  went  to  school  with  me  in  Roxbury.  Sad  news  did 
I  have  to  write  to  his  wife,  and  he  but  just  married." 

"  What  would  the  English  think,"  exclaimed  the  first 
speaker,  "  if  a  ship  of  any  other  nation  dared  trifle  with 
their  merchantmen  in  this  fashion?  There'd  be  a  fine 
hullabaloo,  wouldn't  there?  " 

"Oh,  just  another  war!"  remarked  Captain  Samuelson. 
"  I  wish  that  we  had  a  few  fine  live-oak  frigates  afloat 
with  men  like  my  old  friends,  John  Paul  Jones,  Nichol- 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  21 

son,  Barry,  and  Biddle,  to  command  them.  But  no,  the 
Government  expects  us  to  look  out  for  ourselves.  Bain- 
bridge  here — what  experience  has  he  had  with  the  John 
Bullies?  " 

"  I've  been  most  fortunate,  sir,"  responded  Bainbridge, 
who  was  by  far  the  youngest  of  the  five  men  seated  in  the 
cabin;  "  but  I  think  that  we  have  been  rather  too  submis- 
sive, perhaps;  though  I  say  it  who  should  not,  I  might 
feel  inclined  to  make  a  show  of  resistance.  We  might  even 
persuade  the  country  at  large  that  it  is  worth  while  to 
take  up  cudgels  in  defense  of  their  citizens  abroad,  as  well 
as  to  fight  for  their  interests  at  home." 

'  Well  said,  Captain  Bainbridge,"  put  in  Captain  Steele, 
of  the  brig  Bangor.  "  But  the  only  trouble  is  that  we 
would  probably  be  blown  out  of  the  water  for  our  pains. 
It  is  well  to  have  a  locker  full  of  foreign  flags  at  one's  dis- 
posal, I  find  it,  and  to  know  a  few  words  of  foreign  lingo." 

Bainbridge  said  nothing,  but  he  had  long  ago  made  up 
his  mind  to  one  thing:  He  would  permit  no  one  to  search 
his  vessel  or  to  rob  him  without  a  show  of  the  strongest 
remonstrance.  He  was  afraid  that  if  he  spoke  his  full 
mind  upon  this  occasion  he  might  be  regarded  as  bluster- 
ing, a  thing  absolutely  impossible  to  his  nature,  as  he  had 
never  made  a  threat  or  a  promise  in  his  life  that  he  did 
not  intend  at  the  time  to  carry  out. 

It  had  been  his  good  fortune,  as  already  stated,  to  have 
escaped  the  numerous  discomfitures  that  had  fallen  to  the 
lot  of  most  of  his  companions  at  the  dinner,  but  he  knew 
that  sooner  or  later  their  experience  would  be  his.  Proud 
of  his  country  and  jealous  of  the  rights  of  her  citi- 
zens, it  rankled  deeply  to  think  that  he  would  have  to 
submit  to  the  indignities  of  which  he  had  heard  the 
others  tell. 

But  this  day  was  not  to  go  by  without  incident  of 
more  importance  than  a  dinner  party.  As  his  gig  neared 


22  COMMODORE    BAINBR1DGE. 

the  side  of  the  Hope,  that  was  lying  quite  a  distance  out 
in  the  harbor  alongside  of  the  vessel  hailing  from  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina,  he  suddenly  perceived  a  commotion 
on  the  deck  of  the  latter — voices  in  loud  talk,  a  sudden 
hoarse  cry,  and  then  a  hail. 

"  Ho,  on  board  the  ship  there!     Help!     Mutiny!  " 

Bainbridge  had  not  left  the  deck,  but  at  the  cry  he 
hastened  below,  and  opening  a  chest,  he  drew  out  the  two 
big  pistols  that  had  served  him  in  such  good  stead  on 
board  the  Cantor.  He  hastened  up  again  and  jumped  into 
the  gig.  In  three  minutes  he  was  alongside  the  other 
vessel,  and  followed  by  half  his  crew,  he  climbed  on  deck. 

Without  a  shot  being  fired  or  blood  spilled,  the  rioters 
were  made  prisoners  and  placed  in  irons.  Then,  after 
receiving  the  thanks  of  the  captain,  Bainbridge  rowed 
back  to  the  Hope. 

As  he  was  lifting  the  lid  of  the  chest  to  stow  the  pis- 
tols away,  the  vessel  lurched  a  little  and  the  lid  fell  down 
upon  his  forearm,  but  unfortunately  in  such  a  way  as  to 
touch  the  hammer  of  one  of  the  pistols,  which  was  dis- 
charged, the  flame  igniting  a  bag  of  powder  which  lay  in 
a  compartment  of  the  chest.  Instantly  there  was  an  ex- 
plosion, and  Bainbridge  was  hurled  across  the  cabin,  badly 
wounded  in  his  legs  and  the  upper  portion  of  his  body. 
The  crew,  who  were  hoisting  the  gig  out  of  the  water, 
rushed  down  to  see  what  had  happened.  A  few  buckets 
of  water  extinguished  the  flames,  and  a  doctor  came  off 
shore  at  once.  He  pronounced  Bainbridge  dangerously 
hurt,  but  stated  that  he  had  a  fair  chance  of  recovery. 

No  one  could  have  been  nursed  more  carefully  than 
he  was  by  his  officers  and  crew,  each  vying  with  the  other 
to  see  what  he  could  do  for  the  injured  commander.  In 
five  weeks  he  was  able  to  be  about  the  deck  again,  and 
in  such  a  healthy  condition  was  he  that  his  wounds  healed 
almost  immediately.  In  a  fortnight  the  Hope  was  loaded 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  23 

with  a  cargo,  and  weighed  anchor  for  the  island  of  St. 
Thomas. 

The  crew  of  the  little  ship  was  composed  of  a  fine  lot 
of  sailormen.  They  were,  without  exception,  full-blooded 
Yankees,  although  the  cook  was  a  black,  and  hailed  from 
the  island  of  Barbadoes. 

Bainbridge  had  never  had  any  trouble  with  them,  and 
had  always  found  them  willing  and  eager.  Very  different 
indeed  was  his  position  from  that  he  had  held  on  board 
the  Cantor  when  he  had  under  him  the  crowd  of  half- 
drunken  scalawags. 

Just  before  the  sailing  of  the  Hope  an  American 
vessel  had  come  into  port  and  dropped  anchor  close 
to  hand.  She  reported  that  ten  days  previously  she  had 
been  boarded  by  an  English  cruiser,  and  no  less  than  three 
of  her  crew  had  been  taken  from  her  by  main  force — de- 
liberately kidnapped!  Bainbridge's  blood  boiled  when  he 
heard  the  story,  and  a  firm  determination  was  formed 
in  his  mind  to  resist  to  the  very  last  any  attempt  that  the 
English  might  make  to  force  such  treatment  upon  him. 

The  second  day  at  sea  he  called  the  crew  to  the  waist 
and  made  a  short  speech — something  he  had  never  found 
occasion  to  do  before. 

"  Men,"  he  said  quietly,  "  I  do  not  intend  to  allow  this 
vessel  to  be  robbed,  and  I  know  that  you  will  understand 
my  meaning  when  I  say  that  if  any  press  officer  boards 
us  and  takes  one  of  you  away  he  will  have  to  take  the 
rest  of  us  also,  and  probably  the  ship  into  the  bargain." 

With  that  the  Hope's  crew  were  told  off  into  divi- 
sions and  a  gun  captain  was  appointed  for  each  one  of  the 
four  nine-pounders.  They  did  not  make  a  very  formidable 
array,  to  confess  the  truth,  as  each  gun  captain  found 
himself  in  command  of  exactly  one  man,  for  the  number 
of  souls  on  board  the  Hope  was  but  eleven — eight  sea- 
men and  three  officers. 


24  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

During  the  calm  weather  that  followed  for  several 
days  the  men  were  worked  at  the  guns.  A  target  was 
towed  out  from  the  side  of  the  ship,  and  good  practice  was 
made  with  the  little  broadsides. 

No  occasion  was  found  for  their  immediate  use,  how- 
ever, and  Bainbridge's  usual  good  fortune  seemed  to  fol- 
low him;  but  late  one  afternoon,  off  the  island  of  St. 
John,  a  small  schooner  was  seen  bearing  down,  carrying 
all  sail  and  evidently  intending  to  speak  the  Hope. 

Bainbridge  might  have  run  for  it  and  escaped,  but 
the  small  size  of  the  vessel  made  him  think  that  he  had 
nothing  to  fear  from  her,  and  he  held  his  course.  Before 
the  schooner  came  within  hailing  distance  he  raised  the 
American  flag  at  his  peak,  and,  calling  all  hands,  had  the 
nine-pounders  loaded  with  as  much  powder  as  he  thought 
they  could  possibly  stand,  and  double-shotted,  and  for 
good  measure  a  handful  of  musket  balls  was  added  to  each 
charge.  Loaded  muskets,  two  to  each  man,  were  placed 
along  the  bulwarks,  and  everything  was  made  handy  in 
case  resistance  should  become  necessary,  for  there  was 
no  doubt  that  the  schooner  was  one  of  the  small  English 
cruisers  whose  commanders  took  it  upon  themselves  to 
stop  American  ships  at  every  opportunity,  and,  trusting 
to  the  prestige  of  the  royal  service,  insist  upon  the  right 
of  search. 

Very  soon  the  schooner  had  ranged  alongside.  She 
had  not  displayed  her  flag,  but  an  officer  in  a  cocked  hat 
and  a  brilliant  uniform  was  seen  standing  near  the  rail 
on  the  quarter-deck,  trumpet  in  hand.  Although  the  lat- 
ter instrument  was  not  needed,  he  placed  it  to  his  lip,  and, 
disdaining  the  usual  formalities,  he  bellowed  at  top  voice: 

"  On  board  the  ship  there!  Heave  to!  I'm  going  to 
send  a  boat  off  to  you." 

Bainbridge  stepped  to  the  side  of  the  Hope.  He  saw 
that  the  little  schooner  carried  four  guns  of  a  side,  but 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  25 

they  were  of  no  heavier  metal  than  his  own,  although,  of 
course,  they  were  twice  the  number. 

The  men  had  all  come  to  the  port  side,  and  the  nine- 
pounders  had  been  cast  loose.  Everything  was  in  readi- 
ness. 

"  I'm  sorry  I  can't  stop,"  Bainbridge  shouted  in  an- 
swer to  the  Britisher's  hail.  "  We  are  in  a  great  hurry  to- 
day." 

"  Perhaps  they're  in  some  distress,  Captain  Bain- 
bridge,"  suggested  Mr.  Beebe. 

"  They  may  be  in  a  minute,"  suggested  one  of  the 
gun  captains  who  had  overheard  the  remark,  slapping 
the  breech  of  his  gun  with  a  chuckle. 

"  Heave  to!  "  shouted  the  Englishman,  disdaining  to 
use  his  trumpet  this  time.  "  Heave  to,  or  I'll  fire  a  shot 
into  you." 

"  I  advise  you  not,  sir,"  was  Bainbridge's  return  to 
this. 

The  conversation  had  evidently  caused  some  surprise 
to  be  felt  on  board  the  schooner,  and,  as  the  two  vessels 
were  now  so  close  that  everything  could  be  observed 
clearly,  it  was  noticed  that  the  men  employed  in  cast- 
ing the  lashings  off  the  small  quarter  boat  stopped  their 
work;  and  that  very  deliberately  the  forward  gun  was 
run  in  and  loaded.  As  the  Hope  was  all  prepared,  her 
men  stood  apparently  inactive  along  the  bulwarks. 

"Ready  there!"  said  Bainbridge  quietly;  "if  a  shot 
touches  us,  let  them  have  it." 

Grimly  he  waited  for  the  Englishman  to  take  the 
initiative. 

Bang!  went  the  first  gun.  The  ball  plashed  harm- 
lessly across  the  bows. 

"  Steady!  "  ordered  Bainbridge.  "  Don't  fire  until  she 
hits  us." 

It  was  evident  that  the  commander  of  the  schooner 

3 


26  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

did  not  know  what  to  make  of  the  unexpected  behavior 
of  the  Yankee  vessel,  for,  instead  of  seeing  her  heave  to 
with  all  evidences  of  consternation  and  fright,  there  she 
was  sailing  along  as  if  nothing  had  occurred,  with  her 
commander  looking  over  the  rail  with  his  arms  folded, 
apparently  unconcerned. 

The  Englishman's  next  order  was  heard  by  every  one 
of  the  Hope's  crew  as  well  as  by  those  for  whose  ears  it 
was  intended. 

"  Fire  into  her!  "  he  roared. 

Plainly  he  did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  discharge 
his  broadside,  for  the  same  gun  was  loaded,  but  this 
time  with  the  intention  of  doing  damage. 

Bang!  it  went  the  second  time.  A  long  splinter 
whirred  across  the  Hope's  deck  and  the  ball,  deflecting, 
plunked  through  one  side  of  the  deck  house  and  out  the 
other,  making  a  great  crash  among  the  "  doctor's  "  pans 
and  kettles.  But  before  the  John  Bulls  could  see  the 
result  of  their  marksmanship  the  doubled-shotted  guns 
of  the  Hope  had  answered.  Away  went  the  schooner's 
gaff  and  the  main-topmast,  brought  down  by  the  after 
gun,  while  the  forward  division  of  one,  with  equal  good 
fortune,  shot  away  the  flying  jib  boom  and  the  fore-top- 
mast stay. 

The  shoe  was  on  the  other  foot  now!  The  man  at 
the  schooner's  helm  became  confused,  and  Bainbridge  had 
to  come  about  to  avoid  collision;  or  perhaps  it  was  the 
British  captain's  intention  to  board.  So  close  did  she 
cross  the  bows  of  the  Hope  that  the  latter's  jib  boom 
struck  her  side,  carrying  away  all  her  starboard  shrouds 
and  braces.  She  fell  off  rapidly  to  leeward,  and  as  she 
did  so  found  time  to  discharge  a  gun  of  her  port  battery, 
the  ball  lodging  in  the  Hope's  mainmast. 

But  Bainbridge's  starboard  guns  were  double-shotted 
also,  and  the  answer  they  gave  to  this  was  almost  as  dis- 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


astrous  to  the  schooner  as  the  first  reply  had  been.  One 
ball  entered  near  the  fore  chains,  and  another,  coming 
through  the  port,  dismounted  one  of  the  guns,  killing 
or  wounding  three  or  four  of  the  crew.  The  second  gun 
had  put  two  balls  into  the  schooner's  side,  ripping  a  gash 
but  a  foot  or  so  above  the  water  line. 

So  great  was  the  confusion  on  board  of  her  that  Bain- 
bridge  could  see  her  crew  running  hither  and  thither  as  if 
they  had  lost  their  heads  completely.  But  what  was  his 
surprise  when  he  saw  the  English  ensign  run  a  short  way 
up  on  the  color  halyards  that  flapped  from  the  wounded 
peak,  and  then  hauled  down  again. 

"We've  surrendered!"  shrieked  the  English  captain, 
who  but  a  few  minutes  before  had  been  so  full  of  impor- 
tance and  bravado.  "  Cease  firing,  for  Heaven's  sake!  " 

Here  was  a  pretty  mess.  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States  were  ostensibly  at  peace.  There  was  a  strong 
party  in  the  United  States  who  deprecated  any  idea  of 
resistance  to  the  Crown,  and  what  would  be  the  conse- 
quences of  his  action  Bainbridge  could  not  foresee. 

Paying  no  attention  to  the  words  he  had  just  heard, 
he  raised  his  voice  and  called  an  answer  slowly  back: 

"  What  schooner  is  that?  " 

"  Her  Majesty's  schooner  Linnet,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Sir  Philip  Townes.  What  ship  is  that?  " 

Before  Bainbridge  could  reply  to  this  the  action  of  his 
own  crew  drew  his  attention.  They  had  given  three  cheers 
when  they  saw  the  English  flag  come  down,  and  now, 
much  excited,  they  were  gathered  in  a  body,  evidently 
waiting  for  further  orders. 

"  Shall  we  board  and  take  possession  of  her,  sir?  " 
asked  Mr.  Beebe  eagerly. 

"  Not  for  the  world,"  replied  Bainbridge.  "  Those 
guns  were  put  on  board  of  us  for  our  defense,  and  we 
have  used  them  for  that  purpose,  but  we  have  no  right 


28  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

to  put  a  foot  on  board  that  vessel.  Our  lives  would  pay 
the  forfeit,  and  justly  too,  sir." 

The  crew  looked  a  little  disappointed,  and  some  were 
quite  angered  that  they  should  not  be  allowed  to  take 
advantage  of  their  victory,  but  Bainbridge's  course  was 
the  only  one  left  open,  for  had  he  dared  to  treat  the  Lin- 
net as  a  prize,  he  would  have  been  guilty  of  piracy,  or 
something  akin  to  it.  So  seeing  that  the  Englishman 
was  yet  waiting  for  an  answer  and  displaying  no  indica- 
tion of  a  desire  either  to  escape  or  to  renew  the  action, 
he  called  across  the  water  to  him: 

"  Schooner  there!  Will  Captain  Sir  Philip  Townes 
pray  go  about  his  business  in  peace,  and  report  to  his 
masters  that  if  they  want  this  ship  they  must  send  a 
greater  force  or  a  more  skillful  commander?  " 

With  that  he  squared  his  yards  and  cleared  away  on 
the  course  for  St.  Thomas,  leaving  the  English  captain 
to  chew  the  bitter  cud  of  reflection,  to  his  own  enlighten- 
ment it  is  to  be  hoped. 

Although  Bainbridge  did  not  mention  the  affair  ex- 
cept in  a  short  report  to  the  owners  of  the  Hope,  the  news 
of  it  was  soon  traveling  about  Philadelphia  within  a  few 
days  of  his  arrival,  and  before  he  left  to  pay  a  visit  to  his 
friends  in  New  York  he  had  been  offered  the  pick  of  the 
finest  vessels  then  lying  in  the  port  of  Philadelphia. 

The  English  captain  had  thought  fit  to  belittle  the 
affair  more  than  likely,  or  he  had  failed  to  make  a  report 
of  it  altogether.  There  was  no  complaint  made  to  the 
United  States  Government,  and  it  is  doubtful  whether 
Sir  Philip's  masters  ever  received  the  message  sent 
to  them. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

WHEN  Bainbridge  returned  to  Philadelphia  after  his 
visit  to  his  parents  he  decided  not  to  desert  the  owners 
of  the  Hope  for  a  more  ambitious  command,  but  to  make 
at  least  one  more  voyage  in  the  little  vessel  before  he 
turned  her  over  to  other  hands.  He  knew  her  tricks  and 
her  manners,  and  he  found  that  the  large  proportion  of 
the  crew  were  anxious  to  ship  with  him  once  again. 

Mr.  Seth  had  obtained  a  vessel  of  his  own.  Beebe 
was  promoted  to  be  first  mate,  and  just  previous  to  sailing, 
Bainbridge  was  fortunate  enough  to  fill  the  latter's  place 
with  a  young  Philadelphian,  Allen  M'Kinsey,  who,  al- 
though he  was  but  thirty-three  years  of  age,  had  been 
eighteen  years  at  sea,  a  tall  water  sailor  and  a  good  offi- 
cer, although  his  lack  of  education  had  for  a  long  time 
told  against  his  securing  a  berth  aft.  His  parents  were 
respectable  townsfolk;  his  father  kept  a  small  ship 
chandlery  near  the  wharf. 

The  cargo  was  delivered  successfully  at  Bordeaux,  and 
after  a  short  stay,  Bainbridge  by  a  most  lucky  chance  was 
able  to  load  his  vessel  with  silks  and  wine  and  set  sail, 
almost  retracing  his  former  course.  Everything  went  well 
until  within  three  hundred  miles  of  the  American  coast, 
when  at  sunrise  a  large  vessel  was  descried  to  windward 
drifting  leisurely  down  upon  the  Hope  before  the  light 
morning  breeze.  About  nine  o'clock  she  was  near  enough 
for  it  to  be  seen  that  she  was  a  British  line-of-battle  ship, 
or  better  a  razee — that  is,  a  three-decker  cut  down  to  a 
ship  of  two  decks  only. 

29 


30  .  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

On  she  came,  a  fine  sight  to  behold,  with  every  stitch 
of  canvas  set,  catching  the  gleams  of  the  sun,  the  shadows 
shifting  on  her  sails  as  she  rolled  lazily  from  side  to  side 
on  the  bosom  of  the  long,  easy  swell. 

When  within  speaking  distance  she  hauled  her  wind 
a  little,  and  without  a  hail  dropped  a  boat  cleverly  from 
her  quarter,  and  soon  a  young  officer  in  a  lieutenant's  uni- 
form hailed  the  little  Yankee  ship  and  requested  "  some 
one  there  on  board  "  to  heave  a  line  to  him.  As  no  one 
apparently  replied  to  that  title,  which  was  certainly  as  in- 
definite as  it  was  insulting,  the  young  officer  scrambled 
on  board  over  the  low  bulwarks,  assisted  by  no  one  but 
the  members  of  his  crew. 

Bainbridge  was  standing  near  the  wheel  with  his  hands 
folded  in  front  of  him,  calmly  waiting  for  the  interview 
that  he  knew  was  soon  forthcoming. 

"  Ship's  this?  "  questioned  the  Englishman,  straighten- 
ing his  cocked  hat.  "  Is  any  one  in  command  here?  " 

"  I  suppose  you  wish  to  inquire,"  responded  Bain- 
bridge,  "  the  name  of  this  vessel.  It  is  the  American  ship 
Hope  from  Philadelphia,  and  if  you  are  looking  for  the 
commanding  officer,  sir,  you  have  the  honor  of  address- 
ing him." 

"  Very  distinguished,  I  am  sure.  Have  you  your 
papers  handy,  my  young  Yankee?  " 

Bainbridge  looked  over  the  taffrail  at  the  great  shape 
of  the  battle  ship,  in  whose  shadow  his  own  little  vessel 
was  then  swallowed  up  completely.  His  brows  knitted. 
It  was  odious  that  he  had  to  stand  and  bear  this  insult, 
that  he  felt  was  more  leveled  at  his  country  than  at  him, 
without  doing  anything  to  resist  the  imposition. 

"  Just  wait  a  moment,  please,"  he  said  politely.  And 
going  to  the  head  of  the  companion  ladder,  he  called  the 
steward  and  told  him  to  bring  up  the  large  tin  box  that 
stood  in  the  corner  of  the  cabin. 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  31 

His  leisurely  movements  angered  the  lieutenant,  who 
exclaimed  in  irritation: 

"  Come,  come,  my  man,  make  haste.  You  are 
squandering  time." 

"  Not  altogether,"  Bainbridge  replied.  "  I  am  giving 
you  a  few  minutes  to  think,  so  that  you  may  act  with  care 
and  discretion  and  regain  your  composure." 

He  looked  the  other  squarely  in  the  eye  with  his  fear- 
less glance  as  he  spoke.  And,  as  there  was  no  reply 
made,  he  extended  the  papers  to  his  unwelcome  visitor, 
adding  only: 

"  Read  here  for  yourself.  I  have  no  one  shipped  with 
me  who  is  not  an  American  seaman;  but  I  assure  you,  sir, 
that  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  we  are  under  the  muzzles 
of  yonder  guns,  you  would  not  receive  the  satisfaction 
even  of  my  assurance,  or  the  pleasure  of  glancing  over  the 
paper  that  you  now  hold.  There  are  my  men;  their  ap- 
pearance speaks  for  itself." 

The  boarding  officer,  who  had  been  followed  by  five 
or  six  of  the  boat's  crew,  commenced  to  read  the  names 
in  the  order  of  their  enlistment,  but  everything  was  so 
plainly  as  Bainbridge  had  stated  it  that  it  scarcely  needed 
a  glance  to  confirm  his  words.  The  men  were  passed  and 
everything  appeared  to  be  over  with,  when  suddenly  the 
name  of  M'Kinsey  caught  the  lieutenant's  eye. 

"  This  man  here — M'Kinsey — where  is  he?  "  he  asked 
as  if  with  a  ray  of  hope. 

"  He's  my  second  officer,"  Bainbridge  replied,  "  and 
is  standing  here  beside  me." 

"  You  are  a  Scotchman,"  stated  the  officer  positively, 
glancing  from  the  paper  in  his  hand  to  the  face  of  the 
honest  seaman. 

"  Any  one  who  says  that  is  a  liar!  "  returned  the  young 
Philadelphian  hotly. 

"I'll  make  you  eat  that  word,"  replied  the  Britisher, 


32  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

stepping  forward  quickly.  "  Here,  you  two,"  he  said, 
speaking  to  his  own  men,  "  lay  hold  of  him  and  toss  him 
into  the  boat.  I'll  break  his  heart  for  him." 

Bainbridge  quietly  pushed  his  second  mate  to  one  side 
and,  stepping  between  the  two  angry  men,  said  quietly: 

"  Patience,  sir,  a  moment;  I  know  this  man.  He  was 
born  in  Philadelphia.  I  know  his  parents.  He  is  an 
American.  I  state  this  to  you  upon  my  honor.  His  reply 
to  you  was  hasty,  that  I  admit,  but  he  had  provocation/' 

"  Provocation  or  no  provocation,"  was  the  return, 
"  he'll  come  with  me,  or  I'll  know  the  reason  why." 

"  Just  a  moment,"  Bainbridge  responded.  "  May  I 
ask  your  name  and  that  of  your  vessel?  " 

"  I  am  Lieutenant  Norton,  of  his  Majesty's  ship  the 
Indefatigable,  Sir  Edward  Pellew." 

"  Ah,  so!  Then  does  Lieutenant  Norton  mean  to  tell 
Captain  Bainbridge  that  he  lies?  " 

There  was  such  a  dangerous  light  in  the  young  Ameri- 
can's eyes  that  for  an  instant  Lieutenant  Norton  hesi- 
tated. 

"  He  may  have  deceived  you,"  he  half  faltered.  "  He's 
Scotch." 

"  He  has  not  deceived  me.  Do  you  intend  to  take  him 
by  force?  " 

"  Do  you  intend  to  resist?  " 

"  I  am  not  so  foolish;  but  I  have  no  objections  to  his 
doing  so. — Mr.  M'Kinsey,  in  the  corner  of  my  cabin  you 
will  find  two  loaded  pistols  lying  on  the  bunk.  A  sharp- 
ened cutlass  hangs  from  the  bulkhead  close  to  hand.  See 
if  it  is  not  as  I  say." 

Suddenly  turning,  the  mate  jumped  down  the  ladder, 
and  as  all  this  conversation  had  been  heard  by  the  crew 
grouped  in  the  waist,  an  audible  titter  ran  through  the 
company. 

"  One's  as  good  as  another,"  the  lieutenant  growled, 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  33 

trying  to  affect  amusement  to  hide  his  discomfiture.  "  I'll 
take  this  man  instead." 

Reaching  forward  his  hand,  he  seized  one  of  the  Hope's 
crew,  a  lad  scarcely  more  than  eighteen  years  of  age 
but  well-grown  and  hardy.  Two  of  his  henchmen  caught 
the  young  fellow  about  the  waist,  and  he  was  uncere- 
moniously tossed  over  the  side  almost  on  the  heads  of 
those  sitting  below  on  the  thwarts.  But  the  officer  did 
not  wish  to  make  his  own  exit  with  any  degree  of  haste, 
although  he  perceived  that  there  was  a  long  pull  ahead 
of  him  before  he  would  again  reach  his  ship,  as  she  had 
edged  off  and  now  lay  a  couple  of  miles  distant  waiting 
for  him.  He  turned  to  Bainbridge  as  if  to  make  some 
parting  sally,  but  the  Yankee  captain  spoke  first: 

"  Will  you  convey  my  compliments  to  your  superior 
officer  and  congratulate  him  upon  having  so  efficient  a 
bailiff;  and  also  inform  him  that  for  the  young  man  you 
have  robbed  me  of  I  shall  take  one  of  his  Majesty's  citi- 
zens serving  in  the  first  ship  I  meet,  if  her  force  does  not 
preclude  my  attempting  to  do  so.  You  know  as  well  as 
I  do  that  you  have  taken  an  American  citizen  to  lead 
him  into  a  life  of  slavery  and  bondage." 

"  You  talk  well,"  responded  the  lieutenant,  "  but  no 
Yankee  merchant  captain  would  dare  to  impress  one  of 
his  Majesty's  subjects.  A  fig  for  your  threatening,  and 
good-day  to  you." 

With  that  he  dropped  down  into  the  boat  and  pulled 
away  to  the  battle  ship. 

Five  days  afterward  the  lookout  forward  reported  that 
there  was  a  sail  dead  ahead  holding  the  same  course. 
Spreading  all  sail,  Bainbridge  made  after  her,  and  as  the 
Hope  proved  to  be  much  the  faster  he  soon  had  the  chase, 
a  fine  merchant  brig,  quite  as  large  as  his  own  little  ship, 
under  his  lee.  He  raced  down  past  her  quarter,  fired  a 
shot  across  her  bows,  and  suddenly  hove  short  in  front 


34  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

of  her  in  such  a  way  that  the  brig,  in  great  consternation, 
let  go  all  standing,  and,  with  a  tremendous  fluttering  and 
clattering  of  canvas,  she  swung  about  and  heaved  there 
up  and  down,  helplessly  confused.  She  was  within  easy 
hail,  so  Bainbridge  called  to  her  stating  that  he  was  going 
to  board,  and  that  if  she  attempted  resistance  he  would 
blow  her  out  of  the  water. 

"Mr.  Beebe/'  he  said,  "board  that  brig;  take  nine 
men  with  you,  and  bring  back  a  healthy  John  Bull — 
single  and  sober,  and  presumably  industrious.  Don't  re- 
turn without  him." 

If  Mr.  Beebe  had  not  returned  at  all,  he  would  have 
left  the  Hope  in  a  very  precarious  condition,  for  there  were 
then  on  board  of  her  no  one  but  the  captain  and  second 
mate,  and  an  old  seaman  on  the  forecastle! 

When  Beebe  came  on  board  the  Englishman  he  saw 
to  his  consternation  that  she  was  much  larger  and  more 
heavily  armed  than  it  was  at  first  supposed,  for  she  carried 
eight  guns,  and  there  were  in  the  neighborhood  of  twenty 
seamen  huddled  on  deck  near  the  mainmast.  For  this 
reason  he  did  not  stop  long  to  parley,  but  running  up 
to  a  tall,  tow-headed  young  fellow,  he  addressed  the  fol- 
lowing question  to  him,  roaring  the  words  in  his  ear  as 
he  grasped  him  by  the  shoulder: 

"  Young  man,  are  you  married?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  faltered  the  seaman,  taken  all  aback  with 
the  suddenness  of  the  question. 

'Then  come  with  me,"  answered  Beebe;  and  taking 
the  sailor  at  a  disadvantage,  he  grasped  him  from  behind 
and  hustled  him  across  the  deck  through  the  gangway 
into  the  waiting  boat  before  any  one  could  lift  a  hand 
to  prevent  him.  There  was  a  rush  made  to  the  side,  but 
the  boat  was  almost  an  oar's  length  distant.  In  a  few 
strokes  Beebe  had  placed  the  prisoner,  who  was  too 
frightened  to  resist,  on  board  the  Hope. 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  35 

"  Better  get  out  of  this,"  panted  the  first  mate,  run- 
ning aft.  "  She's  armed  like  a  man-of-war,  sir." 

"  Well,  not  before  she  takes  a  message  that  I  have 
been  longing  to  send,  and  wouldn't  lose  the  chance  of 
sending  for  the  gain  of  a  few  minutes." 

"  On  board  the  brig  there!  Will  the  captain  make 
report  that  Captain  William  Bainbridge  has  taken  one 
of  his  Majesty's  subjects  in  retaliation  for  a  seaman  taken 
from  the  American  ship  Hope  by  Lieutenant  Norton,  of 
the  Indefatigable  razee,  commanded  by  Sir  Edward  Pel- 
lew?  " 

Then  sheeting  home,  the  Hope  was  off  before  the  brig 
managed  "  to  get  out  of  her  own  way,"  as  M'Kinsey  put 
it.  Before  night  she  was  hull  down,  for  she  had  not  at- 
tempted a  pursuit. 

Bainbridge  sent  for  the  new  hand. 

"  Young  man,"  he  said,  "  I  am  sorry  for  you;  but  now 
let's  make  the  best  of  it.  You'll  be  paid  your  wages  from 
now  on  to  the  end  of  the  cruise,  and  will  be  discharged 
at  Philadelphia  with  money  in  your  pocket,  if " — and  he 
paused — "  if  you  do  your  duty.  Otherwise  your  posi- 
tion may  not  be  quite  so  comfortable.  Step  forward." 

That  was  an  end  to  it,  although,  of  course,  it  did  not 
make  up  for  the  hardships  the  poor  lad  had  to  undergo 
who  was  taken  by  Lieutenant  Norton;  but  of  this  more 
hereafter. 

The  seaman  was  paid  in  full,  and,  as  some  one  said  at 
the  time,  he  did  not  appear  to  be  at  all  dissatisfied  with 
either  the  service  or  the  country  into  which  he  had  been 
forced. 

A  writer  of  the  early  part  of  this  century,  in  referring 
to  this  incident,  said  as  follows:  :' The  proceeding  of 
Captain  Bainbridge  on  this  occasion  was  doubtless  as 
illegal  as  the  act  which  had  provoked  it;  but  to  a  mind 
like  his,  alive  to  the  honor  of  his  country  and  the  rights 


36  COMMODORE  BAINBRIDGE. 

of  his  fellow-citizens,  especially  of  those  under  his  im- 
mediate protection,  the  outrage  he  was  compelled  to  wit- 
ness by  which  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  was  torn  from 
his  country  and  family,  perhaps  forever,  was  an  apparent 
justification.  Although  it  afforded  no  redress  for  the 
original  wrong,  yet  it  was  designed  to  show  the  naval 
officers  of  Great  Britain  that  the  rights  of  American 
citizens,  so  far  as  they  are  committed  to  the  protection  of 
Captain  Bainbridge,  are  not  to  be  violated  with  impunity." 

It  was  high  time  indeed  that  something  should  be 
done  to  settle  the  question  of  the  assumed  right  of  search 
that  was  to  be  brought  to  a  conclusion  some  years  later 
only  by  open  hostilities  between  Great  Britain  and  this 
country,  in  which  Bainbridge  was  to  have  a  proper  arena 
for  the  display  of  his  judgment,  coolness,  and  good  sea- 
manship. 

Once  more  he  found  himself  much  talked  about,  and 
accepted  an  offer  made  to  him  to  take  command  of  a 
large  ship  of  some  six  hundred  tons  about  to  sail  for  the 
South. 

After  landing  a  cargo  from  New  Orleans  in  an  Eng- 
lish port,  he  took  another  shipload  for  the  West  Indies. 
As  part  of  his  consignment  was  for  the  island  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew, a  mere  dot  on  the  map,  just  north  of  the 
island  of  St.  Christopher  in  the  Caribbean  Sea,  he  put 
into  the  harbor  of  Le  Carenage,  a  commodious  anchorage, 
but  very  difficult  of  access  owing  to  the  tortuous  channel 
and  abundant  shoals.  Just  before  he  was  ready  to  sail 
a  period  of  calm  weather  began  during  which  scarcely 
enough  wind  blew  to  lift  a  flag,  let  alone  to  waft  a  big 
vessel  through  a  difficult  passage. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HOWEVER,  this  unlooked-for  calm,  which  under  most 
circumstances  would  have  proved  annoying,  turned  out  to 
be,  as  Bainbridge  often  asserted,  the  most  fortunate  hap- 
pening of  his  life,  and  it  involves  a  little  romance  well 
worth  the  telling. 

St.  Bartholomew  was  not  the  most  delightful  place  in 
the  world  for  a  protracted  stay,  although  the  island  is  rich 
and  fertile  and  produces  large  quantities  of  tobacco,  cot- 
ton, and  indigo;  it  contains  no  permanent  springs,  and 
it  is  impossible  for  a  vessel  fully  to  replenish  her  water 
supply  there,  as  the  inhabitants  depend  almost  entirely 
upon  the  rainfall  for  drinking  purposes. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  are  speaking  there  were 
scarcely  more  than  twenty-five  hundred  white  people  and 
about  eight  thousand  blacks  on  the  island.  The  latter 
lived  in  huts  scattered  about  the  plantations,  or  in  a  little 
settlement  of  their  own  at  the  southern  bend  of  the 
harbor,  while  the  European  colony  was  collected  on  the 
top  of  one  of  the  sloping  hills  on  the  opposite  side.  The 
low  white  houses  stood  well  back  from  the  roads,  sur- 
rounded by  gardens  of  tropical  luxuriance. 

One  day  Bainbridge  was  walking  up  the  palm-shaded 
walk  with  Monsieur  Le  Vidocq,  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  earlier  French  settlers.  He  looked  down  upon  the 
harbor,  where  his  own  vessel  and  one  or  two  others  were 
lying  at  anchor,  and,  turning,  he  spoke  to  the  gentleman 
at  his  side,  addressing  him  in  French,  for  the  young  cap- 

37 


38  COMMODORE   BAINBR1DGE. 

tain  was  quite  as  familiar  with  that  language  as  he  was 
with  his  own  native  tongue. 

"  Monsieur,  I  do  not  know  what  we  will  do  if  we  do 
not  get  some  wind  very  soon.  Have  you  ever  known  a 
calm  to  last  for  so  long  a  time?  " 

"  Well,  hardly,  Captain  Bainbridge,"  replied  the 
Frenchman.  "  That  is,  not  within  my  recollection.  But 
probably  in  the  course  of  the  next  few  hours  we  will  see 
a  difference  with  the  changing  of  the  moon." 

"  Indeed,  I  hope  so,"  Bainbridge  replied,  "  or  I  may 
have  to  resort  to  kedging,  a  difficult  process  amid  such 
tides  and  currents." 

He  turned  again  and  looked  at  the  still  unruffled  sur- 
face of  the  harbor,  but  just  as  he  was  about  to  resume 
his  walk  something  arrested  his  attention,  and  he  stood 
there  without  moving.  It  was  the  sound  of  a  woman's 
voice  singing  to  the  accompaniment  of  a  harp. 

Monsieur  Le  Vidocq  noticed  the  effect  of  the  music 
upon  his  companion.  "  Ah,  monsieur,"  he  said,  "  you 
are  listening  to  the  voice  of  the  Rose  of  St.  Bartholomew, 
Miss  Hyleger,  the  granddaughter  of  a  distinguished  Hol- 
land gentleman  who  has  business  interests  here.  Yes,  it  is 
most  entrancing,"  he  added,  for  Bainbridge  had  not 
moved. 

"  Indeed  you  are  right,  monsieur,"  he  answered  at  last ; 
"  form  and  feature  to  accompany  such  a  voice  would  be 
well-nigh  perfection." 

"  And  so  it  is,"  replied  the  other.  "  Monsieur  le 
Capitaine,  I  have  an  idea.  You  must  meet  her  and  de- 
termine for  yourself  if,  in  my  enthusiasm,  I  have  over- 
estimated the  talents  of  this  lovely  person." 

'  Thank  you  indeed,  my  kind  friend,"  Bainbridge  re- 
plied so  earnestly  that  the  other  could  not  but  smile. 
"  I  accept  your  offer,  and  I  pray  you  that,  if  it  is  your  con- 
venience, the  meeting  shall  be  soon." 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  39 

He  turned  again  to  listen  more  to  the  low  music 
when  his  eye  happened  to  sweep  out  upon  the  harbor. 
A  breeze  had  rippled  the  surface,  and  a  little  Swedish  brig, 
lying  far  out,  dropped  all  her  sails  as  if  to  take  advantage 
of  it.  For  an  instant  duty  drove  all  thoughts  of  the 
charmer  from  Bainbridge's  mind.  With  a  suddenness  that 
existing  circumstances  were  alone  the  excuse  for,  he  apolo- 
gized to  the  little  Frenchman  and  ran  hot  foot  down  the 
hill  to  where  his  boat  was  waiting,  drawn  up  in  the  sand. 
'"  Off  to  the  ship!  "  he  shouted  to  the  three  men  at  the 
oars;  and  in  ten  minutes  the  capstan  falls  were  clicking 
merrily  as  the  ship  crawled  up  to  her  anchor.  Then,  as 
he  had  a  moment  to  think,  a  disappointment  came  over 
him.  He  was  not  to  meet  the  owner  of  that  voice  after 
all,  and  a  deep  regret  seized  upon  him,  which  showed 
plainly  what  a  strong  impression  the  sweet  notes  had 
made  upon  his  heart. 

But  the  topsails  had  scarcely  begun  to  draw  when 
the  breeze  died  away  and  the  ship  again  lay  entirely 
motionless  upon  the  smooth  surface.  The  little  brig 
farther  out  held  it  but  a  little  longer,  and  then  dropped 
anchor  with  a  hasty  plash,  as  if  angered  at  the  failure 
of  the  elements  to  help  her  in  her  escape.  But,  although 
Bainbridge  was  anxious  to  leave  the  port,  the  dropping 
of  his  own  "  mud  hook,"  as  the  sailor  calls  it,  caused  him 
no  such  feeling,  and  a  boat  rowed  out  to  him  early  in  the 
afternoon  with  the  welcome  tidings  from  Monsieur  Le 
Vidocq  that  everything  had  been  arranged,  and  that  he 
would  have  an  opportunity  of  meeting  Mademoiselle 
Hyleger  that  evening  at  a  dinner  to  be  given  to  Captain 
Bainbridge  at  the  kindly  Frenchman's  house. 

When  the  young  officer  entered  the  large,  low-ceil- 
inged  drawing-room,  it  took  him  but  a  glance  to  decide 
which  one  of  the  four  ladies  present  was  the  possessor 
of  the  voice,  for,  seated  on  a  divan  in  the  corner  of 


40  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

the  room,  was  a  tall,  slender  girl  with  a  great  mass  of 
brown  hair;  her  light-gray  eyes  looked  up  to  him  as 
the  host  introduced  his  guest,  saying  "  the  siren  who  so 
delightfully  charmed  us  the  other  day." 

"  But  Captain  Bainbridge,  unlike  Ulysses,  made  no 
effort  to  escape,"  put  in  one  of  the  other  gentlemen  who 
had  listened  to  the  introduction. 

"  When  was  it  you  heard  me  singing?  "  asked  Miss 
Hyleger,  roguishly  glancing  at  Monsieur  Le  Vidocq. 

"  Yesterday  morning,  mademoiselle." 

"Ah!  then  I  can  answer  that  the  captain  did  do  his 
best  to  escape,  for  shortly  after  practicing  on  the  harp 
I  walked  out  upon  the  veranda  and  was  just  in  time  to 
see  him  running  down  the  hill.  He  put  off  in  his  boat 
and  apparently  did  his  very  best  to  leave  the  harbor,  in 
which  he  all  but  succeeded." 

"  The  unfavoring  winds  were  kindly,"  put  in  the  cap- 
tain at  last,  who,  during  this  pleasantry,  had  been  watch- 
ing the  play  of  Miss  Hyleger's  features  and  indulging  in  a 
strange  fluttering  of  the  heart  hitherto  unknown  to  him. 

"  A  very  paradoxical  statement,  sir,"  smiled  the  young 
lady,  arising  as  she  took  his  arm  to  go  into  the  dining- 
room. 

Well,  the  long  and  short  of  it  was  that  Bainbridge 
did  not  leave  the  island  that  day,  or  the  next,  or  the  next. 
In  fact  it  was  quite  a  week  before  the  wind  blew  suffi- 
ciently hard  to  carry  him  out  past  the  headland  and 
beyond  the  rocky  reefs. 

From  the  wide  veranda  of  a  low  white  house  upon  the 
hillside  a  tall  young  girl  in  a  white  dress  stood  half  lean- 
ing against  one  of  the  portico  pillars.  Her  eyes  had  a 
suspicion  of  tears,  but  she  did  not  move  from  her  posi- 
tion until  she  had  seen  the  big  ship  break  out  into  a 
cloud  of  swelling,  gleaming  sails  as  she  reached  the  safe 
waters  outside  the  shoals. 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  41 

Captain  Bainbridge,  as  he  looked  back  at  the  hillside, 
realized  that  this  little  island,  scarcely  twenty-five  square 
miles  in  extent,  contained  all  in  the  world  for  him,  and  he 
once  had  imagined  that  he  saw  the  flash  of  a  signal  as  if 
a  white  kerchief  was  waved  from  the  garden-shrouded 
porch  of  the  house  on  the  hilltop.  He  would  return 
again,  cargo  or  no  cargo;  to  that  he  made  up  his  mind: 
but  he  did  not  know  how  soon  this  event  was  going  to 
occur.  However,  to  his  delight,  when  he  reached  his 
destination,  one  of  the  islands  of  the  western  archipelago, 
he  found  a  letter  from  the  owners  instructing  him  to  pick 
up  a  cargo  of  indigo  and  dyestuffs,  and  then  set  sail  for 
Philadelphia. 

Never  was  a  ship  unloaded  so  quickly,  and  almost 
one  month  to  a  day  from  the  time  he  had  left  the  harbor 
of  Carenage  his  vessel,  in  charge  of  a  native  pilot,  was  a 
second  time  threading  the  narrow  passage  through  the 
reefs. 

A  small  boat  left  the  little  white  jetty  as  soon  as 
Bainbridge  had  come  to  anchor.  Under  the  sturdy  strokes 
of  her  black  crew  she  was  at  the  vessel's  side  almost  before 
Bainbridge  could  complete  his  arrangement  to  receive 
his  visitors,  for  he  had  noticed  the  little  boat  and  knew 
who  the  two  figures  were  that  sat  in  the  stern  sheet :  one 
was  his  friend  the  Frenchman,  and  the  other  was  John 
Hyleger,  who  had  been  for  many  years  Governor  of  St. 
Eustatius,  one  of  the  islands  belonging  to  the  Dutch 
Government. 

Bain-bridge  was  hard  put  to  it  to  hide  his  eagerness 
when,  after  the  greeting,  he  asked  concerning  the  health  of 
the  Honorable  John's  granddaughter,  who,  although  he 
did  not  know  it,  had  been  the  first  to  sight  the  ship  and 
had  informed  her  grandfather  and  his  friend  of  the  Ameri- 
can captain's  approach. 

In  three  weeks  everything  was  ready  for  departure, 

4 


42  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

the  wind  blew  strong  and  steady,  the  cargo  was  stowed, 
and  the  sails  were  loosened  ready  to  be  dropped  at  the 
word;  but  there  was  some  delay.  On  shore  at  the  little 
church,  whose  windows  were  wide  open  to  the  flower- 
scented  breeze,  a  ceremony  was  going  on,  and  when  Cap- 
tain Bainbridge,  resplendent  in  a  new  blue  coat  with 
silver  buttons  as  large  as  half  dollars,  rowed  off  to  his 
ship,  a  woman's  slender  figure  sat  beside  him  in  the  stern 
sheets;  she  turned  from  a  half-tearful  gaze  at  the  little 
island  and  two  figures  standing  on  the  shore,  to  glance 
up  into  her  husband's  face,  smiling  bravely  and  con- 
fidently. Never  was  such  a  precious  cargo  carried  by  any 
ship  that  sailed  under  any  flag  for  any  port. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MR.  AND  MRS.  BAINBRIDGE  were  exceedingly  de- 
lighted when  they  met  their  new  daughter,  and  a  visit 
to  John  Taylor  at  Middletown  resulted  in  the  old  gentle- 
man's being  completely  captured  by  young  Mrs.  Bain- 
bridge's  tact  and  pleasant  manners. 

William  Bainbridge  was  now  in  his  twenty-fourth 
year.  He  had,  as  we  have  seen,  assumed  many  respon- 
sibilities for  so  young  a  man,  and  had  been  through  ex- 
periences and  had  surmounted  difficulties  in  a  way  that 
would  have  done  credit  to  any  one  many  years  his  senior. 
But  it  was  the  old  story  of  an  old  head  on  young  shoulders, 
and  people  were  apt  to  forget  his  youth  after  a  few 
minutes'  conversation  with  him,  for  his  manners  were 
grave  and  dignified,  and  his  calm,  unruffled  temper  never 
left  him  for  a  minute,  no  matter  in  what  position  he  found 
himself.  But  his  good  spirits,  his  youth,  and  fearless 
nature  were  shown  in  the  merry  twinkle  or  the  quick 
glance  of  his  blue  eye. 

It  was  some  time  before  Bainbridge  went  to  sea  again, 
and  this  came  about  from  various  reasons.  The  difficulties 
with  France  which  led  to  the  quasi  war  with  that  country 
had  now  opened  a  new  field  for  enterprising  and  chivalrous 
exertion.  The  Government  had  found  it  necessary  to 
organize  a  small  navy  for  the  protection  of  our  commerce 
from  the  encroachments  of  the  French  privateers,  and 
movements  began  at  the  various  navy  yards  to  rehabilitate 
the  service,  which  had  dwindled  almost  into  nothing  since 

43 


44  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

the  close  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  There  were  not 
sufficient  officers  to  man  the  projected  vessels  unless  the 
merchant  marine  was  appealed  to,  for  there  were  few  in- 
deed who  had  received  any  instruction  at  all  in  regula- 
tion naval  duties  or  manoeuvres.  Of  course  a  few  older 
officers  who  had  distinguished  themselves  in  the  war  of 
the  Revolution  could  be  still  depended  upon,  but  judicious 
selection  from  among  the  commanders  of  the  American 
merchant  vessels  became  necessary.  Among  the  first 
names  inscribed  on  the  list  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 
who  was  then  acting  as  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  was 
that  of  William  Bainbridge,  already  his  reputation  for 
decision  of  character  and  bravery  was  widespread,  and 
when  Captain  Decatur  (whose  son,  Stephen  Decatur,  was 
so  soon  to  distinguish  himself)  brought  into  port  the 
schooner  L'Incroyable,  just  taken  as  a  prize  from  the 
French  by  the  sloop-of-war  Delaware,  the  command  of 
her  was  offered  to  Captain  Bainbridge.  In  a  few  months 
the  vessel  was  outfitted,  and  under  a  new  name,  the 
Retaliation,  she  set  sail  in  September,  1789,  in  company 
with  the  brig  Norfolk  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Williams. 

The  two  small  vessels  were  under  orders  to  cruise  in 
Southern  waters,  where  they  were  to  join  the  flag  of 
Commodore  Murray,  who  commanded  the  frigate  Monte- 
zuma.  The  islands  of  the  West  Indies  were  dangerous 
sailing  grounds  for  peaceable  and  unarmed  merchantmen. 
Pirates  teemed  in  the  Gulf,  and  the  French  privateers, 
who  fell  but  little  short  of  being  freebooters,  rendezvoused 
at  various  ports  and  preyed  rather  indiscriminately  upon 
all  vessels  weaker  than  themselves. 

It  might  be  said  that  although  no  open  declaration  of 
war  had  taken  place  as  an  official  act,  yet  France  (then 
under  a  Republican  form  of  government)  and  her  sister 
republic,  whom  she  had  helped  not  long  before,  were  at 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  45 

odds.  Hostilities  had  commenced  at  sea,  and  overt  acts 
were  plenty. 

But  no  adventure  of  any  moment  was  met  with  until 
the  first  week  of  November,  although  one  or  two  small 
French  vessels  had  been  chased  into  the  protection  of  the 
harbors  during  the  month  of  October.  By  this  time 
the  crew  of  the  Retaliation  had,  owing  to  Bainbridge's 
untiring  efforts,  been  changed  from  that  of  a  merchant 
vessel  to  one  having  all  the  marks  of  a  regular  service. 
Strict  discipline  was  maintained,  and  strong  measures  had 
been  necessary  to  enforce  it.  But  the  officers  knew  their 
ship  and  knew  their  men,  and  the  latter  had  begun  to 
respect  their  commander.  Commodore  Murray  had  taken 
occasion  to  compliment  him  on  the  wonderful  improve- 
ment accomplished  under  his  direction. 

Off  the  island  of  Guadeloupe  at  sunrise  one  bright 
morning  during  the  first  week  of  November,  three  sail 
were  discovered  bearing  east-south-east  and  only  about 
two  leagues  distant.  At  about  the  same  time  two  other 
vessels  hove  in  sight  to  the  westward,  upon  which  the 
commodore  signaled  Bainbridge  to  hold  his  course,  while 
he  in  the  Montezuma  and  Captain  Williams  in  the  Nor- 
folk bore  away  in  chase  of  the  strangers  to  the  west.  It 
was  thought  that  the  three  sails  first  sighted  were  Brit- 
ish, so  Bainbridge  kept  on  his  way  and  was  not  surprised 
when  he  saw  the  English  colors  go  up  to  the  peak  of  the 
leading  frigate.  Nearer  they  approached,  but,  when  at 
about  pistol-shot  distance,  down  came  the  English  flag 
and  up  went  that  of  France.  One  of  the  big  fellows 
fired  a  broadside  that  brought  a  few  spars  to  deck  and 
smashed  into  the  bulwarks  of  the  Retaliation,  and  at  the 
same  time  another  ranged  alongside  and  ordered  the  com- 
mander of  the  schooner  to  lower  his  flag  and  repair  on 
board  immediately. 

Bainbridge  was  totally  unprepared  for  making  any  re- 


46  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

sistance,  and  as  the  ship  on  his  port  hand  carried  forty- 
four  guns,  and  the  one  on  the  other  carried  thirty-six, 
there  was  nothing  else  to  do  but  give  in.  Sadly  he  saw 
his  flag  come  down,  and  calling  away  his  boat,  he  rowed 
off  to  the  larger  vessel  in  obedience  to  the  order.  She 
was  a  fine  craft,  but  at  half  a  glance  he  could  see  that 
things  existed  on  board  of  her  that  would  not  be  toler- 
ated on  board  an  English  or  an  American  vessel  of  the 
regular  service.  The  men  appeared  slovenly  and  the 
decks  were  littered  about  with  various  odds  and  ends, 
and  untidy  to  a  degree.  As  he  walked  up  to  the  quarter- 
deck, a  handsome,  middle-aged  man  with  a  great  deal 
of  gold  lace  on  the  wide  lapels  of  his  long-tailed  coat, 
approached  him. 

Bainbridge  drew  his  sword  and  extended  the  hilt 
toward  the  resplendent  stranger,  balancing  the  blade 
across  his  forearm. 

"  May  I  ask  to  whom  I  have  the  honor  of  surrender- 
ing?" 

"  To  Commodore  St.  Lawrence,  of  the  navy  of  the 
French  Republic.  But  as  you  had  no  opportunity  to  de- 
fend yourself,  I  beg  you,  sir,  pray  retain  your  sword." 

Very  politely  he  then  asked  the  name  of  Bainbridge's 
vessel,  and,  learning  of  her  former  career,  made  some  remark 
that  might  be  translated  into  "  turn  about  is  fair  play." 

The  Volontier,  the  flagship,  remained  hove  to  while 
she  placed  a  prize  crew  on  board  the  unfortunate  Re- 
taliation, but  the  other  vessels,  the  larger  of  which 
Bainbridge  learned  was  named  L'Insurgent,  accom- 
panied by  a  little  sloop,  were  making  off  after  the  Nor- 
folk and  the  Montezuma,  who  had  run  out  of  their  wind 
and  whose  chase  had  escaped  them.  Their  capture  ap- 
peared inevitable,  and  as  the  Volontier  was  a  mile  or  so 
behind  them,  it  appeared  that  she  would  be  too  late  to 
take  a  hand  in  the  action  if  there  was  to  be  one. 


On  the  deck  of  the  Volontier. 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  47 

Bainbridge  had  joined  the  group  of  officers  that  had 
made  their  way  forward  to  the  forecastle,  and  with  feel- 
ings of  great  distress  he  watched  the  two  vessels  ahead 
near  the  American  ships,  which  had  little  chance  of  escape 
left  them.  Suddenly  the  French  commodore  turned  to 
him. 

"  Monsieur,"  he  said,  "  what  is  the  size  and  armament 
of  your  two  consorts  yonder?  " 

Without  hesitation  Bainbridge  made  reply: 

"  The  ship,  sir,  mounts  twenty-eight  long  twelve- 
pounders  and  the  brig  twenty  nine-pounders." 

And  if  he  breathed  an  inward  prayer  for  thus  doubling 
his  friends'  armaments,  he  must  have  smiled  also  to  see 
the  result  of  his  ruse  de  guerre,  for  Commodore  St.  Law- 
rence, with  a  great  deal  of  excitement  in  his  manner  and 
gestures,  hustled  his  officers  to  right  and  left,  loudly 
calling  upon  them  to  signal  L'Insurgent  and  the  smaller 
vessel  to  return. 

Soon  it  was  seen  that  the  former  had  perceived  her 
recall,  for  she  came  about  and  waited  until  the  Volontier 
bore  down  within  speaking  distance.  In  the  mean  time 
the  Norfolk  and  the  Montezuma,  having  caught  a  new 
slant  of  wind,  were  making  off,  carrying  all  sail  and  grow- 
ing smaller  and  smaller  every  minute  of  the  time. 

An  amusing  conversation  now  took  place  between 
the  flagship  and  smaller  frigate. 

Captain  Barro,  the  commander  of  the  latter  vessel,  al- 
most jumped  up  and  down  in  his  anger  as  he  demanded 
the  reason  for  his  being  called  off  just  as  he  was  about 
to  capture  both  vessels;  and  upon  the  commodore  stat- 
ing that  they  were  of  "  superior  force,"  he  went  on  to 
state,  shrieking  his  words  over  the  taffrail,  for  the  two 
ships  were  now  near  together: 

"  I  could  have  taken  them  both — both,  monsieur. 
There  was  not  a  gun  on  board  either  heavier  than  a  six- 


48  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

pounder."  He  hammered  angrily  upon  the  rail  with  his 
heavy  cocked  hat,  almost  weeping  in  his  wrath  and  irrita- 
tion. 

The  commodore,  who  had  spoken  hitherto  in  fairly 
good  English,  turned  to  Bainbridge,  who  was  standing 
by,  with  difficulty  repressing  the  smile  that  would  rise 
to  his  lip. 

"  Did  you  not  say,  sir,  that  the  force  of  these  vessels 
was  such  as  I  have  stated?  " 

"  I  did,"  responded  Bainbridge  sternly;  "  but  if  I  could 
save  two  ships  of  my  Government  simply  by  misrepresent- 
ing their  strength,  I  think  I  was  justified  in  doing  so. 
The  circumstances  warranted  my  hazarding  the  asser- 
tion, sir." 

Perhaps  St.  Lawrence  recognized  the  logic  and  made 
allowance  for  the  temptation,  for  he  said  no  more,  and 
that  evening  requested  Captain  Bainbridge's  presence 
at  his  table,  as  if  nothing  had  occurred.  During  the 
course  of  his  stay  on  board  the  Volontier  he  treated  him 
with  the  greatest  kindness  and  consideration,  and  pre- 
sented him  to  General  Desfourneaux,  who  was  being  sent 
out  from  France  to  Guadeloupe  to  supersede  the  famous 
Governor,  Victor  Hughes. 

The  day  after  the  capture,  the  three  vessels  of  war  and 
their  prize  anchored  in  the  harbor  about  six  miles  from 
Basse-Terre,  the  capital  of  the  island,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing all  were  landed. 

The  officers  and  crew  of  the  Retaliation  were  ordered 
into  close  confinement  in  a  loathsome  prison;  but,  owing 
to  the  solicitation  of  his  friend  the  commodore,  Bainbridge 
and  the  commissioned  officers  were  afterward  brought  off 
shore  and  allowed  to  remain  on  board  the  frigate,  where 
they  were  given  full  liberty  and  treated  with  kindness. 

On  the  tenth  day  Bainbridge  was  permitted  to  visit 
the  shore  on  his  parole  of  honor,  for  the  purpose  of  arrang- 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  49 

ing  with  General  Desfourneaux,  with  whom  he  had  had 
but  a  few  words  on  shipboard,  an  exchange  of  prisoners,  in 
accordance  with  instructions  transmitted  to  him  by  Com- 
modore Murray,  who  had  sent  a  letter  in  to  him  by  a 
Danish  brig. 

It  was  just  at  this  time  that  the  French  people  had 
begun  that  system  of  the  affectation  of  extreme  equality. 
Ceremony  was  dispensed  with  and  a  strange  attitude  of 
comradeship,  simplicity,  and  make-believe  frankness  took 
its  place. 

Dressed  in  a  quiet  suit  of  citizen's  clothing,  Bain- 
bridge  awaited  an  audience  with  General  Desfourneaux. 
In  a  few  minutes  he  was  admitted,  and  at  once  was  asked 
to  seat  himself  at  table  with  le  general,  as  the  latter  was 
about  to  take  his  luncheon.  With  the  assertion  that  "  sea 
fare  did  not  agree  with  him,"  the  general  requested  the 
young  American  to  join  him  in  the  meal  of  a  "  blunt  old 
soldier,"  and  invited  him  to  speak  openly  and  frankly,  as 
two  citizens  "  would  talk  over  their  wine."  The  remark- 
able interview  that  followed  is  well  worth  a  chapter  to 
itself.  But  it  did  not  take  the  young  lieutenant  (for  that 
was  but  his  actual  rating  in  the  service)  long  to  deter- 
mine that  he  was  dealing  with  a  wily  old  diplomat  used 
to  intrigue,  and  able  to  blow  hot  and  cold  with  the  same 
breath,  despite  his  air  of  sincerity  and  bonhomie. 

It  would  pay  him  well  to  be  upon  his  guard. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"  Now,  captain,"  commenced  the  hoary  old  villain. 

"  Lieutenant,  sir,"  put  in  Bainbridge,  anxious  to  ap- 
pear on  even  terms  at  the  outset. 

The  general  did  not  notice  the  interruption,  except 
that  he  corrected  himself  in  the  next  sentence,  continu- 
ing: 

"  I  do  not  wish  you  to  consider  yourself  as  a  prisoner, 
lieutenant,  or  I  do  not  desire  that  your  comrades  shall  be 
treated  as  such.  I  pray  you  look  upon  your  stopping 
here  as  if  you  were  visitors  detained  merely  from  political 
motives.  We  intend  to  treat  you  as  both  friends  and 
allies,  I  assure  you." 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  his  crew  were  now  lingering 
in  a  dungeon,  this  assertion  appeared  to  be  something 
remarkable,  but  it  did  not  trouble  the  "  blunt  old  soldier  " 
in  the  slightest  degree. 

"  Of  course,  it  may  seem  strange,  but  I  have  long 
thought  how  great  an  advantage  would  accrue  from  the 
establishment  of  commercial  relations  between  this  beau- 
tiful island  and  your  great  country  of  the  United  States." 

Bainbridge  remained  silent,  waiting  to  hear  what  all 
this  would  lead  up  to,  for  he  did  not  doubt  that  there  was 
much  more  behind  it. 

"  If  you  would  but  consider  yourself  the  representative 
of  your  nation — which  you  are,  for  there  are  no  others  that 
rank  you  on  the  island — we  could  accomplish  a  great  deal 
to  the  mutual  advantage  of  countries,"  went  on  Des- 

50 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  51 

fourneaux,  who  had  lost  all  interest  in  his  soldier's  fare. 
"  I  promise  that  I  will  liberate  your  men  and  officers,  and 
restore  your  ship  to  you,  if  you  will  agree  to  consider,  as 
the  representative  of  your  country,  of  course,  the  island  of 
Guadeloupe  as  neutral  during  the  passage  d'armes  be- 
tween the  French  Republic  and  the  United  States." 

Bainbridge  saw  the  pit  into  which  the  other  would 
draw  him,  and  he  replied  calmly,  after  a  moment's 
thought,  choosing  his  words  in  order  that  he  might  not 
be  misunderstood. 

"  You  must  know,  general,"  he  said,  "  that  my  au- 
thority extends  no  farther  than  to  enter  into  an  arrange- 
ment for  an  exchange  of  prisoners.  If  I  took  upon  myself 
to  enter  into  such  negotiations  as  you  mention,  and  they 
were  disclaimed,  you  would  place  the  United  States  in 
the  position  of  an  aggressor,  which  probably  would  please 
you.  And  whatever  may  be  your  views  in  regard  to  the 
condition  of  my  men — I  speak  not  for  myself — I  consider 
the  crew  of  the  Retaliation  as  not  only  being  held  in  cap- 
tivity, but  as  being  treated  with  great  barbarity." 

The  general  then  adopted  a  confidential  tone  in  his 
reply:  "  I  admit  that  it  appears  so,  yes,"  he  said;  "but 
you  see  Monsieur  Hughes  has  not  yet  left  the  island.  I 
can  not  revoke  his  orders  until  his  departure.  This,  allow 
me  to  say,  is  the  explanation." 

"General  Desfourneaux,"  returned  Bainbridge,  "  while 
your  proposition  seems  very  liberal,  I  can  not  see  my  way 
clear  to  assume  this  responsibility;  but  if  you  wish  to 
make  a  cartel  of  my  vessel,  I  will  vouch  that  my  country 
will  exchange  prisoners,  man  for  man." 

"  I  intend  to  include,"  put  in  the  wily  Governor,  as  if 
offering  special  inducements,  "  all  of  the  political  hostages 
now  on  the  island." 

Bainbridge,  however,  was  not  to  be  entrapped,  and  the 
curious  interview  was  terminated  without  the  Frenchman 


52  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

securing  the  upper  hand.  The  "  political  hostages  "  were 
confined  in  a  dungeon  much  too  small  for  them.  They 
were  almost  naked  and  in  a  state  of  starvation.  Many 
of  them  were  masters  of  vessels,  and  the  jailer  had  proved 
himself  to  be  a  drunken,  unfeeling  brute.  The  news  had 
been  circulated  among  them  that  they  were  about  to 
secure  their  liberty,  and  great  rejoicing  was  the  result; 
but  they  were  doomed  to  sore  disappointment.  Their 
condition  grew  worse  and  worse,  as  if  the  new  Governor 
had  determined  to  wreak  vengeance  upon  them. 

Bainbridge  had  received  assurances  from  Desfour- 
neaux  that  they  would  be  placed  in  better  prisons,  and  at 
least  treated  as  if  they  were  human  beings,  but  these 
promises  came  to  naught,  and  the  young  officer  found 
himself  powerless  to  assist  his  unfortunate  countrymen, 
although  he  boldly  remonstrated  against  conduct  so 
averse  to  the  modern  usages  of  war.  Nothing  but  the 
fact  that  he  had  gained  some  powerful  friends  through 
his  own  personality  prevented  the  Governor  from  placing 
him  in  close  confinement. 

About  the  last  of  December  the  Ponsea,  frigate,  from 
Point  Petre,  arrived  at  Guadeloupe,  and  on  board  of  her 
were  twenty  or  thirty  Americans  who  had  been  captured 
by  French  privateers.  In  consequence  of  the  diminution 
of  the  French  force,  as  alleged  by  the  captain  of  the 
frigate,  these  men  had  been  compelled  to  do  duty  as  part 
of  the  crew.  Hearing  of  this  occurrence,  Bainbridge 
waited  upon  Desfourneaux,  and  alleged  that  as  these  men 
were  prisoners  of  war  they  should  not  be  kept  in  confine- 
ment where  they  might  be  compelled  at  any  time  to  take 
up  arms  against  their  countrymen.  He  added  that  if  they 
were  neutrals,  as  the  Governor  had  intimated  in  a  previous 
conversation,  there  could  be  no  excuse  for  their  deten- 
tion on  board  a  public  ship. 

The  Governor  gave  prompt  assurance  that  the  prison- 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  53 

ers  would  be  landed,  as  the  vessel,  he  acknowledged,  was 
within  his  jurisdiction.  But  the  next  day  Bainbridge, 
to  his  anger  and  indignation,  saw  the  Ponsea  sailing  for 
France  without  one  of  the  Americans  being  released 
from  their  bondage.  Angry  at  being  thus  trifled  with,  he 
again  sought  an  interview,  and  a  heated  discussion 
followed,  which  ended  in  the  Governor's  renewing  his 
offer  to  liberate  all  citizens  of  the  United  States,  pro- 
vided that  Bainbridge  would  assume  the  responsibility  he 
had  hitherto  refused.  He  also  insisted  that  Bainbridge 
should  use  his  best  influence  to  open  trade  with  Guade- 
loupe, although  he  knew  what  a  nest  of  pirates  the  harbor 
was. 

An  extract  from  Bainbridge's  letter,  which  he  wrote  a 
few  days  later,  is  of  interest: 

"  To  His  Excellency,  the  Governor  of  Guadeloupe. 

"SiR:  As  you  are  well  aware  that  the  prisons  of 
Basse-Terre  are  crowded  with  my  fellow-citizens,  many  of 
whom  have  been  brought  into  port  since  my  arrival,  and 
as  I  know  from  my  own  observation  that  American  mer- 
chant vessels  have  been  here  condemned  as  lawful  prizes, 
your  Excellency  will  excuse  me  if  I  express  doubt  of  your 
good  will  toward  either  the  Government  or  the  citizens  of 
the  United  States.  You  offer  to  restore  the  Retaliation  to 
my  command.  I  can  not  accept  unless  I  am  permitted  to 
follow  the  instructions  of  my  Government,  viz.,  to  cap- 
ture all  armed  vessels  sailing  under  the  flag  of  the  French 
Republic.  The  Retaliation  is  now  a  French  prize,  being 
captured  by  two  of  your  national  frigates.  I  can  not 
take  command  of  a  vessel  belonging  to  an  enemy  and  give 
a  pledge  to  be  governed  by  an  enemy's  orders  without 
disgracing  myself  as  an  officer  and  rendering  myself  liable 
to  deserved  punishment  by  a  court  martial.  If  I  return 


54  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

in  the  Retaliation,  she  must  be  a  cartel  and  commanded 
by  a  French  officer. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be  yours,  etc., 

"  W.  BAINBRIDGE." 

The  Governor  was  thrown  into  a  frightful  rage  at  this 
refusal  to  accept  his  proposition.  He  sent  for  the  lieu- 
tenant and  informed  him  of  his  intention  to  place  him  in 
close  imprisonment,  to  which  Bainbridge  replied  that  no 
fear  of  punishment  could  induce  him  to  abandon  the 
principles  which  would  always  govern  him  as  an  officer  of 
the  American  navy. 

At  last,  wishing  to  conciliate  the  United  States,  even 
if  he  could  obtain  no  pledge  in  advance,  Desfourneaux 
fitted  out  a  cartel,  under  the  command  of  a  French  cap- 
tain, and  sent  her  with  the  Retaliation  to  the  United 
States,  the  returned  prisoners  amounting  to  nearly  three 
hundred. 

In  a  final  interview  with  Bainbridge  he  declared  that 
he  had  resolved  to  compel  the  immediate  departure  of  the 
Retaliation,  and  in  the  event  of  any  act  of  hostility  being 
committed  previous  to  her  arrival  in  the  United  States, 
he  would  put  to  death  every  American  prisoner  who 
might  be  hereafter  captured  or  brought  to  the  island. 
The  cartel  bore  prepared  dispatches  to  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  in  which  General  Desfourneaux  made 
assurances  of  the  neutral  position  of  the  island,  and 
pointed  to  his  release  of  the  prisoners  as  a  pledge  of  his 
sincerity.  What  he  really  feared  was  a  blockade  of  his 
ports! 

Bainbridge's  conduct  was  highly  approved  of  by  the 
Government  upon  investigation,  and  he  was  immediately 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  master  and  commander,  and  or- 
dered to  take  charge  of  the  brig-of-war  Norfolk  (the  ves- 
sel he  had  saved),  then  lying  in  the  Delaware  River.  He 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  55 

was  given  directions  to  fit  her  for  active  service  as  quickly 
as  possible. 

As  soon  as  the  brig  was  ready  to  proceed  to  sea,  her 
commander  was  ordered  to  report  to  Commodore  Trux- 
ton,  then  sailing  with  the  frigate  Constellation  in  the 
West  Indies.  He  cruised  among  the  Windward  Islands, 
and  took  under  his  charge  successfully  several  convoys  of 
American  merchantmen,  among  which  was  one  fleet  of 
one  hundred  and  nineteen  sail,  bound  to  different  ports 
of  the  United  States. 

Returning  from  this  arduous  service  to  New  York  in 
the  month  of  August,  Bainbridge  learned  to  his  great 
mortification  that  while  absent  there  had  been  five  lieu- 
tenants promoted  over  him  to  the  rank  of  captain.  He 
remonstrated  in  vain  against  this  act  of  injustice,  but  re- 
ceived no  reparation,  except  an  assurance  that  it  would 
not  occur  again.  Nothing  but  his  pride  and  attachment 
to  the  service,  and  the  earnest  solicitation  of  his  friends, 
prevented  his  pursuing  a  course  which  would  have  de- 
prived the  navy  of  an  efficient  and  capable  officer. 

Again  he  set  sail  on  a  cruise  to  the  West  Indies,  where 
he  captured  a  number  of  piratical  craft,  and  landed  on  the 
island  of  Hispaniola,  and  on  the  8th  of  November,  off  Cape 
Nicola  Mole,  he  took  the  French  armed  vessel  Republican 
and  a  prize  that  she  had  just  taken. 

On  the  1 4th  of  November  the  young  commander 
found  himself  at  the  head  of  a  small  squadron  consisting 
of  his  own  vessel  the  Norfolk,  the  brig  Warren,  and  the 
sloop  Pinckney,  each  carrying  eighteen  guns.  With  this 
small  force  he  blockaded  the  harbor  of  Havana  to  prevent 
the  escape  of  a  large  French  privateer,  and  he  did  this  so 
effectually  that  the  latter  vessel  was  dismantled,  and  ample 
protection  was  afforded  to  American  merchant  vessels 
cruising  in  Cuban  waters. 

Up  to  the  time  of  Bainbridge's  assuming  command  of 


56  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

this  station  the  French  cruisers  had  preyed  on  the  com- 
merce of  the  United  States  to  a  vast  and  ruinous  ex- 
tent. But  so  untiring  was  his  vigilance  and  exertion 
that  for  six  months,  during  the  most  inclement  and 
Boisterous  season  of  the  year,  his  little  squadron  kept 
continually  at  sea,  with  the  exception  of  ten  days,  when 
he  was  obliged  to  go  into  port  for  water  and  provis- 
ions. 

The  American  merchants  of  Havana,  upon  his  de- 
parture for  the  United  States,  presented  him  with  the  fol- 
lowing letter,  dated  March  I,  1800: 

"  Having  witnessed  the  ample  protection  which 
you  have  extended  to  American  commerce  trading  to 
this  island,  it  would  be  doing  injustice  to  our  feelings 
were  we  to  suppress  our  acknowledgments  of  the 
vigilance,  perseverance,  and  urbanity  which  have  marked 
your  conduct  during  your  arduous  command  on  this 
station. 

"  It  must  afford  peculiar  pleasure  to  the  citizens  of  the 
United  States  to  know  that  a  trade  which  was  so  re- 
cently exposed  to  frequent  depredations  now  passes  in 
almost  certain  security;  and  we  doubt  not  that  they, 
with  us,  will  do  you  the  justice  to  acknowledge  the  essen- 
tial services  which  you  have  rendered  your  country." 

Sailing  from  Havana  in  March,  Bainbridge  arrived 
in  Philadelphia  early  in  April.  He  immediately  pro- 
ceeded home  and  found  all  his  family  well  and  anxiously 
awaiting  him.  To  the  delight  of  all  his  friends,  and  to 
his  own  satisfaction,  he  heard  that  his  conduct  had  been 
viewed  favorably  by  the  President,  and  that  he  had  been 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain,  his  commission  dating 
from  the  ist  of  May,  1800.  Only  a  few  days  later  he  was 
ordered  to  the  command  of  the  frigate  George  Washing- 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  57 

ton,  a  fine  vessel,  and  one  of  the  largest  in  our  navy.  But 
his  first  orders  were  not  calculated  to  give  him  much  of 
either  pride  or  pleasure  in  their  execution;  and  this  will 
be  told  about  in  the  chapter  that  is  to  follow.  It  exposes 
truly  a  strange  condition  of  affairs. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

JOHN  TAYLOR  was  seated  in  an  armchair  in  the  warm 
spring  sunshine,  and  beside  him  sat  the  wife  of  his  favorite 
grandson.  Her  head  was  leaning  against  the  old  gentle- 
man's knee,  and  one  of  her  hands  was  clasped  in  both 
of  his. 

"  Indeed,  my  dear,  it  is  hard  to  have  him  leave  us  again 
so  soon;  but  I  can  tell  you  that  it  is  an  honor,  of  course, 
that  he  should  accept  the  command  of  such  a  fine  vessel; 
perhaps  he  may  not  be  sent  on  the  foreign  service  for 
some  time,  and  we  may  have  him  here  much  longer  with 
us.  Hullo!  who's  coming  up  the  road?  "  he  added,  break- 
ing off  suddenly  and  raising  one  hand  to  shade  his  eye. 

"  Some  one  on  horseback,"  answered  Mrs.  Bainbridge, 
rising  to  her  feet. 

A  man  on  a  strong  brown  horse  reined  in  at  the 
steps  and,  leaping  from  the  saddle,  left  the  nag  to  nibble 
at  the  short  spring  turf. 

"  Dispatches  for  Captain  Bainbridge,  sir,"  he  said, 
saluting. 

"  I'll  bring  them  to  him,"  said  Mrs.  Bainbridge,  ex- 
tending her  hand.  But  she  was  saved  the  trouble,  for 
just  then  the  figure  of  Bainbridge  himself  appeared  in  the 
doorway.  He  took  the  package,  and  his  handsome  face 
clouded  a  little  as  he  observed  his  wife's  troubled  look. 

"  Sailing  orders,  William?  "  she  asked,  her  underlip 
trembling  suspiciously. 

"  Yes,  dear,  I  fear  so." 

58 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  59 

Without  breaking  the  seal  he  turned  and  went  into 
the  house.  Mrs.  Bainbridge  again  slipped  her  hand  into 
old  John  Taylor's  outstretched  palm.  A  tear  that  she 
endeavored  to  hide  stole  down  her  cheek,  but  the  old  man 
had  noticed  it. 

"  A  sailor's  wife "  he  began. 

"  Should  be  brave,  I  know,"  concluded  his  grand- 
daughter, anticipating  his  remark;  "but  sometimes  it  does 
seem  hard,  I  must  confess." 

A  silence  followed  that  was  broken  by  the  footsteps 
of  Captain  Bainbridge  approaching  down  the  hallway.  It 
was  evident  that  he  was  suffering  from  some  irritation. 

"  Well,  William,"  asked  his  grandfather,  "  what's  the 
news?  Welcome,  I  hope." 

"  Quite  the  reverse,  sir,"  replied  the  captain.  "  I  am 
ordered  to  take  that  infamous  tribute  to  Algiers!  A 
pretty  commission  for  a  gentleman  and  an  officer  to  exe- 
cute! " 

"  It  is  a  disgrace  to  the  country,"  exclaimed  Grand- 
father Taylor,  thumping  down  both  fists  on  the  arms  of 
his  chair. 

"  There  is  one  kind  of  tribute  I  would  like  to  give 
them,"  continued  William,  "  and  that  is  from  the  mouth 
of  my  guns.  The  idea  that  we,  a  Christian  nation,  and 
bound  to  be  one  of  the  most  powerful,  should  permit 
such  a  scandal  as  buying  immunity  from  a  lot  of  Barbary 
pirates  is  almost  as  bad  as  submitting  to  the  English 
right  of  search." 

"  If  anything,  it's  worse,"  put  in  Mr.  Taylor.  "  Think 
of  the  contempt  that  they  must  hold  us  in!  'Dogs  of 
Christians  '  they  call  us." 

"  Well,  there  are  others  in  the  same  position,"  Cap- 
tain Bainbridge  answered,  sitting  down  on  the  lower  step 
beside  his  wife.  "  Almost  all  of  Europe  pays  tribute  in 
one  way  or  another." 


60  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

"  Except  England,"  suggested  Mr.  Taylor. 

"Ay,  there's  the  rub!"  was  the  answer.  "It  is  my 
opinion  that  she  supports  these  brigands  and  buccaneers 
in  order  to  gain  the  supreme  control  of  the  commercial 
Mediterranean.  Proof  is  not  lacking  to  show  that  in  this 
I  am  correct.  They  could  suppress  every  pirate  from 
Gibraltar  to  the  Bosphorus  in  three  months,  but  they 
would  not  have  it  otherwise  than  as  it  is." 

In  common  with  many  of  the  officers  and  a  large  pro- 
portion of  American  citizens,  Bainbridge  held  strong 
prejudices  against  Great  Britain,  and  bewailed  her  in- 
fluence. But,  odd  to  relate,  his  grandfather,  during  the 
war  of  the  Revolution,  had  been  an  opponent  of  rebellion, 
and  his  own  father,  Absalom  Bainbridge,  had  been  an 
out-and-out  Tory  and  had  moved  to  New  York  during 
the  war  in  order  that  his  children  should  be  among  the 
adherents  of  the  Crown,  who  held  the  city.  Nevertheless 
all  of  the  younger  generation  had  grown  up  stout  patriots, 
and  it  had  not  taken  the  honest  doctor  very  long  to 
change  his  opinions,  although  he  would  never  discuss  the 
question  under  any  provocation. 

It  is  easy  to  see  how  a  mission  like  the  delivering  of 
the  tribute  money  to  Algiers  should  gall  so  high-spirited 
a  nature  as  was  Bainbridge's;  but  duty  was  paramount, 
orders  were  to  be  obeyed,  and  as  soon  as  the  George 
Washington  was  in  readiness  and  all  arrangements  had 
been  completed  he  bade  farewell  to  his  wife  and  family 
and  set  sail. 

He  arrived  at  Algiers  with  the  annual  tribute,  amount- 
ing to  some  twenty  thousand  dollars,  which  he  placed 
in  the  hands  of  the  United  States  consul,  declining  to 
assist  in  any  ceremony  of  presentation  to  the  Dey. 

The  George  Washington  was  the  strongest  American 
frigate  that  the  Algerines  had  ever  seen,  and  in  fact  was 
one  of  the  largest  ships  that  ever  dropped  anchor  in  the 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 


61 


harbor.  She  lay  close  in  under  the  guns  of  two  powerful 
batteries,  and  the  wily  Dey,  a  little  angered,  perhaps,  at  the 
short  way  in  which  the  tribute  had  been  paid  to  him, 
viewed  the  tall  spars  and  finely  modeled  hull  with  envy 


Algiers. 

not  unmingled  with  ire,  and  a  brilliant  idea  entered  his' 
head.  Why  not  humble  this  distant  nation  still  more,  and 
make  use  of  the  fine  craft  yonder  as  if  it  were  his  own? 
Acting  upon  this  inspiration,  he  sent  at  once  for  the  Ameri- 
can consul,  Mr.  Richard  O'Brien,  a  sagacious  and  intelli- 
gent man,  who  had  been  at  a  former  period  a  prisoner 
in  this  very  country. 

After  the  audience  with  the  regent,  the  consul  left 
the  palace  and  hastened  to  the  shore,  where  he  was  for- 
tunate enough  to  find  a  cutter  of  the  George  Washington 
waiting  at  the  dock.  Explaining  to  the  cockswain  the 


62  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

urgency  of  his  desire  to  see  Captain  Bainbridge,  he  was 
placed  on  board  at  once. 

Bainbridge  received  him  in  the  cabin.  Consul  O'Brien 
was  evidently  in  some  distress  of  mind,  so  Bainbridge 
treated  him  cordially,  asked  him  to  sit  down,  at  the  same 
time  dismissing  a  number  of  officers  who  were  loitering 
at  the  table,  for  dinner  was  just  over. 

"  Well,  sir,"  he  said,  "  what  is  amiss?  What  can  I  do 
for  you?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  what  is  to  be  done,"  responded  the 
consul,  "  but  I  must  speak  quickly  and  to  the  point,  even 
if  I  have  to  indulge  in  a  short  preamble.  You  know,  Cap- 
tain Bainbridge,  that  all  the  Barbary  States  are  under 
the  direct  control  and  obey  the  commands  of  the  Grand 
Seignior  at  Constantinople.  They  are  practically  hire- 
lings and  dependents  upon  the  Turk  and  the  Ottoman 
power.  The  present  Dey — confound  him! — has  got  him- 
self into  a  mess  with  the  Porte  because  he  has  concluded 
a  treaty  of  peace  with  France  just  at  this  time  when  Tur- 
key, and  England,  her  ally,  are  carrying  on  the  war  in 
Egypt  against  the  young  General  Bonaparte.  There  is 
the  situation  in  a  nutshell.  Now  it  has  entered  his  un- 
scrupulous old  head — bad  luck  to  him! — that  it  would  be  a 
fine  thing  indeed  to  appease  the  heathen  Turk  by  sending 
to  him  presents  of  money  and  various  things  that  the 
old  villain  has  stolen,  and  to  have  them  accompanied  by 
a  special  ambassador  to  Constantinople." 

"  Well,  I  can  see  no  objection,"  returned  Bainbridge. 

'  Yes;  but,  man  dear — excuse  me,  Captain — he  wants 
to  send  them  in  your  ship — in  the  George  Washington, 
that  bears  the  flag  of  the  United  States,  by  all  the 
powers!  " 

Bainbridge  threw  back  his  head  and  laughed  heartily. 

"  Do  you  suppose  for  one  minute  that  I  intend  to  allow 
him  to  carry  out  his  intentions?  "  he  asked. 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  63 

"  But,  my  dear  Captain,  make  note  of  this:  he  is  a 
murdering  old  divil  that  will  stop  at  nothing.  Can't  you 
sail  out  this  very  instant?  " 

"  Not  without  some  wind  to  sail  with,"  responded 
Bainbridge,  looking  out  of  one  of  the  after  ports.  "  Can't 
you  secure  an  audience  for  me  with  the  regent?  I  should 
like  to  politely  express  my  opinions  to  him." 

'  You  will  find  that  he  is  hard  to  change  in  his  de- 
terminations," replied  Mr.  O'Brien.  "  Could  you  warp 
the  vessel  to  the  mouth  of  the  harbor?  " 

"  It  would  be  a  hard  job,"  Bainbridge  answered.  "  But 
for  that  matter,  if  they  wanted  to  prevent  my  leaving,  they 
could  dismantle  me  before  I  had  sailed  a  cable's  length. 
Just  look  up  there." 

Over  two  hundred  pieces  of  ordnance  of  heavy  weight 
frowned  down  upon  the  frigate,  and  from  innumerable 
loopholes  in  the  castle  a  fire  of  musketry  could  have  swept 
her  decks  and  tops. 

Near  the  entrance  to  the  harbor  two  crescent-shaped 
batteries  stood  close  to  the  water's  edge,  and  at  the  inner 
bend  of  the  anchorage  another  small  fort  looked  out  over 
the  roadstead. 

But  the  next  morning  Bainbridge  found  that  Mr. 
O'Brien  had  been  successful,  and  that  the  Dey  would 
grant  him  an  audience  soon  after  his  morning  meal,  which 
took  place  at  noonday. 

The  captain  found  the  Algerine  potentate  sitting 
cross-legged  on  a  luxurious  divan,  being  fanned  by 
two  large  slaves,  while  his  ministers  sat  at  some  dis- 
tance about  the  walls.  No  chairs  were  provided,  and 
during  the  interview,  that  was  carried  on  by  the  aid 
of  an  interpreter,  Bainbridge  stood,  and  he  stood  very 
erect  too,  with  folded  arms,  and  indulged  in  none  of 
the  genuflections  that  characterize  court  etiquette  in 
Algeria. 


64  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

"  Has  the  consul  expressed  my  desires  to  the  Ameri- 
can captain?"  was  the  first  question  the  Dey  asked. 

"  He  has,  and  the  American  captain  regrets  that  he 
can  not  comply  with  the  distinguished  request,  as  it  would 
be  contrary  to  the  orders  of  his  Government  received 
before  leaving  home." 

"  That  is  all  right  on  the  other  side  of  the  \vater,"  the 
Dey  responded,  "  but  here  my  wishes  are  of  more  im- 
portance." 

"  That  I  deny,"  returned  Bainbridge  through  the  in- 
terpreter. 

The  Dey  did  not  allow  it  to  be  seen  how  these  words 
nettled  him,  but  the  retort  that  he  made  showed  the  posi- 
tion he  intended  to  take  in  the  matter. 

"  For  what  your  country  says,"  he  sneered,  "  I  care  no 
more  than  for  a  handful  of  dried  dates.  You  are  in  my 
power.  It  makes  no  matter  to  me  whether  you  declare 
war  or  not.  It  would  only  make  me  richer  and  more 
powerful;  but  this  much  must  be  understood:  either  you 
take  my  ambassador  and  my  presents  to  Constantinople 
or  you  sink  where  you  are.  And  in  three  weeks  my  harbor 
shall  be  filled  with  American  shipping.  I  have  said." 

At  this  moment  O'Brien  spoke  up.  He  endeavored 
to  explain  the  position  in  which  Captain  Bainbridge  was 
placed.  He  informed  the  Dey  that  such  procedure  was 
contrary  to  all  national  law,  and  he  said  that  the  whole 
of  Europe  would  revolt  at  such  an  arbitrary  mode  of 
procedure.  But  nothing  moved  the  obstinate  old  Mussul- 
man, and  when  Mr.  O'Brien  had  finished  speaking  he 
intimated  that  the  audience  was  at  an  end. 

Once  out  in  the  open  air,  O'Brien  expressed  his  feel- 
ings in  no  measured  terms.  Bainbridge  was  too  angry 
to  speak,  but  he  was  going  over  everything  calmly  and 
dispassionately  in  his  mind.  He  knew  that  the  Dey  would 
make  good  his  threats,  and  he  thought  of  the  unprotected 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  65 

commerce  that  would  be  at  the  mercy  of  the  ruthless 
barbarian  if  the  Algerines  were  turned  loose  to  seek  their 
prey. 

"  It  is  a  good  deal  like  having  a  man  put  a  pistol  to 
your  head  and  order  you  to  dance,"  remarked  the  consul. 

"  Yes,  somewhat  similar,"  Bainbridge  returned. 
"  What  would  you  do  in  such  a  case?  " 

"  By  the  saints,  I  suppose  I'd  foot  it,"  answered  the 
little  Irish-American  with  a  shrug  of  his  shoulders. 
"  Couldn't  you  slip  your  cable  and  get  out  under  cover 
of  darkness?  I'd  rather  have  a  cargo  of  monkeys  than  a 
shipload  of  those  heathen  Turks  for  companions." 

Bainbridge  called  a  council  of  his  officers  that  night 
in  the  cabin.  It  was  impossible  to  slip  out  of  the  harbor, 
and  the  next  morning  he  wrote  the  following  letter,  which 
he  placed  on  board  a  small  vessel  bound  for  Spain,  with 
instructions  to  put  it  on  board  the  first  home-bound 
American  ship  that  might  be  met  with.  The  epistle  was 
addressed  to  the  home  Government,  and,  after  the  in- 
troductory form,  it  read  as  follows: 

"  The  Dey  of  Algiers,  soon  after  my  arrival,  made  a 
demand  that  the  United  States  ship  George  Washington 
should  carry  an  ambassador  to  Constantinople,  with  pres- 
ents to  the  amount  of  five  or  six  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
and  upward  of  two  hundred  Turkish  passengers.  Every 
effort  was  made  by  me  to  evade  this  demand,  but  it 
availed  nothing.  The  light  in  which  the  chief  of  this 
regency  looks  upon  the  people  of  the  United  States  may 
be  inferred  from  his  style  of  expression.  He  remarked  to 
me:  'You  pay  me  tribute,  by  which  you  become  my  slaves; 
I  have  therefore  a  right  to  order  you  as  I  may  think 
proper.' 

"  The  unpleasant  situation  in  which  I  am  placed  must 
convince  you  that  I  have  no  alternative  left  but  compli- 


66  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

ance,  or  a  renewal  of  hostilities  against  our  commerce. 
The  loss  of  the  frigate  and  the  fear  of  slavery  for  myself  and 
crew  were  the  least  circumstance  to  be  apprehended;  but 
I  knew  our  valuable  commerce  in  these  seas  would  fall 
a  sacrifice  to  the  corsairs  of  this  power,  as  we  have  here 
no  cruisers  to  protect  it.  Inclosed  is  the  correspondence 
between  Richard  O'Brien,  consul  general,  and  myself  on 
the  subject  of  the  embassy,  by  which  you  will  see  that 
I  had  no  choice  in  acting,  but  was  governed  by  the  tyrant 
in  whose  power  I  had  fallen. 

"  I  hope  I  may  never  again  be  sent  to  Algiers  with 
tribute,  unless  I  am  authorized  to  deliver  it  from  the 
mouth  of  our  cannon.  I  trust  that  my  conduct  will  be 
approved  of  by  the  President,  for,  with  every  desire  to 
act  rightly,  it  has  caused  me  many  unpleasant  moments." 

A  strange  assortment  of  presents  they  were,  and  only 
such  as  one  barbaric  power  could  send  to  another,  and 
especially  if  that  power  had  at  some  time  had  free  access 
to  the  contents  of  various  vessels  of  all  nations.  Silks 
and  satins  from  French  looms,  cloth  and  handsome  em- 
broideries, plate  and  chinaware  from  various  places,  three 
handsome  Arabian  steeds,  and  two  tame  lion  cubs  were 
stored  on  board,  and  the  retinue  of  the  ambassador,  num- 
bering some  two  hundred  Mohammedans,  thronged  the 
decks. 

Bainbridge,  having  been  forced  to  submit  to  this  in- 
dignity, made  up  his  mind  to  do  it  as  gracefully  as  he 
could;  but  a  crowning  affront  was  to  be  offered  him  be- 
fore he  cleared  the  mouth  of  the  harbor.  An  Algerine 
rowboat,  manned  by  twenty  oarsmen,  came  alongside  the 
vessel  with  orders  from  the  Dey  that  the  George  Wash- 
ington should  proceed  to  Constantinople  flying  the  flag 
of  Algiers!  One  was  handed  up  to  him  for  the  purpose. 
Bainbridge  called  away  his  gig  at  once  and,  thoroughly 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  67 

angry,  rowed  ashore,  and  made  his  way  to  the  palace. 
The  Dey  would  not  see  him,  but  he  carried  on  a  conversa- 
tion with  him  through  one  of  his  head  men. 

The  American  captain  remonstrated  in  vain,  and  was 
forced  at  last  to  row  back  to  the  ship  and  hoist  the  hated 
flag  at  his  peak  while  he  flew  the  Stars  and  Stripes  at  his 
main  and  fore.  Once  outside  of  the  harbor  and  beyond 
range  of  the  guns  that  the  Dey  could  bring  to  bear  upon 
him,  down  came  the  green  and  yellow  rag.  The  flag  of 
the  United  States  arose  in  its  place,  and.  in  some  way  that 
has  never  been  accounted  for,  the  Algerine  emblem  was 
lost  overboard. 

It  was  the  nineteenth  day  of  October  in  the  year  1800 
when  the  George  Washington  set  sail  from  Algiers.  Head 
winds  and  bad  weather  were  encountered  from  the  out- 
set, and  the  crowded  condition  of  the  ship  made  every 
one  uncomfortable. 

The  Mussulman  is  compelled  by  his  religion  to  pray  fre- 
quently at  various  stated  intervals  during  the  day,  and  a 
sine  qua  non  is  that  he  should  face  toward  Mecca— in  this 
instance  toward  the  east.  It  was  a  remarkable  sight  to  see 
the  ambassador  and  his  suite  prostrating  themselves  upon 
the  deck,  and  then,  as  the  ship  swung  off  upon  another 
tack,  rushing  to  the  binnacle  to  be  sure  that  their  prayers 
were  directed  properly.  With  the  sailors  hauling  and 
bawling  about  them,  and  not  any  too  careful  how  they 
stepped  among  the  worshiping  Turks,  it  must  have  been 
a  remarkable  sight.  In  fact,  it  was  very  hard  to  manage 
the  Algerines  without  resorting  to  severe  measures,  which 
would  have  been  hardly  proper  under  the  circumstances, 
as  they  were  supposed  to  be  distinguished  guests. 

After  fifty-nine  days  of  severe  tossing,  the  entrance 
to  the  Dardanelles  was  sighted,  with  the  two  large  forts 
guarding  the  highway  to  Constantinople.  Bainbridge 
took  on  board  a  pilot  when  some  distance  from  the  en- 


68 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


trance,  and  as  they  approached  the  narrow  gateway  the 
officer  of  the  deck  was  told  that  it  was  always  necessary 
for  foreign  ships  to  come  to  anchor  under  the  guns  of  the 
great  fortress  to  the  east  and  await  there  the  permis- 
sion or  firman  from  the  Grand  Seignior.  Immediately 
Bainbridge  was  informed,  and  the  prospect  of  having  to 


The  Dardanelles. 

remain  detained  any  longer  than  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary was  most  distressing  to  him.  So  stratagem  was 
determined  upon  to  enable  the  George  Washington  to 
overcome  this  obstacle. 

The  guns  of  the  forward  battery  were  loaded  with  a 
double  saluting  charge,  and  the  frigate,  under  the  favor- 
ing wind,  swept  up  the  narrow  channel,  clewing  up  her 
topsails  and  hauling  down  the  jib  as  if  it  was  her  inten- 
tion to  anchor.  It  was  a  warm,  hazy  dayr  the  ramparts 
of  the  fort  were  seen  to  be  lined  with  soldiers  watching 
the  frigate  as  she  approached.  When  about  midway  in 
the  passage,  Bainbridge  began  to  fire  a  salute  of  twenty- 
one  guns,  which  he  did  as  rapidly  as  they  could  be  loaded 
and  primed.  At  once  both  forts  began  to  answer.  The 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  69 

air  clouded  up  with  the  white,  opaque  smoke,  and  when 
it  cleared  away  the  Turks  must  have  been  astonished 
to  perceive  the  vessel  they  supposed  they  would  find 
anchored  near  to  them  a  full  mile  or  more  up  the  straits, 
bowling  along  with  studding  sails  and  royals  set  and 
drawing. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  hours  the  George  Washington 
dropped  her  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Constantinople,  the 
first  vessel  in  the  history  of  man  to  have  reached  that 
place  without  first  securing  the  permission  of  the  Sultan. 
The  frigate  lay  in  the  lower  part  of  the  harbor.  It  was 
the  Qth  of  November,  and  late  in  the  afternoon.  The  many 
minarets  and  slender  spires  and  domes  of  the  city  gleamed 
in  the  sun.  The  gray  castle  and  the  fortifications  that 
lined  the  water's  edge  were  crowded,  as  the  forts  had  been 
below,  with  troops  of  curious  soldiery  and  citizens.  Pres- 
ently from  the  castle  a  boat  put  out,  the  rowers  of  which 
pulled  long  oars  whose  handles  were  weighted  at  the 
end,  and  they  made  her  dance  through  the  water  at  a 
lively  pace. 

A  man  with  a  large  turban  on  his  head  sat  in  the  stern 
sheets,  and  seeing  that  it  was  his  intention  to  board,  the 
ladder  was  hastily  dropped,  and  in  another  instant  he 
stood  at  the  gangway. 

"  What  vessel  is  this?  "  he  asked,  speaking  very  good 
French. 

"  The  George  Washington  from  the  United  States," 
Bainbridge  replied,  lifting  his  hat. 

To  every  one's  surprise,  this  answer  was  sufficient,  for, 
without  coming  down  upon  the  deck,  the  visitor  hastened 
down  to  the  boat,  and  at  the  same  racing  pace  rowed 
back  to  the  castle. 

Before  the  sailors  had  finished  rigging  the  starboard 
gangway  he  had  again  returned,  and  having  boarded,  he 
approached  Captain  Bainbridge  and  made  a  low  obeisance. 


7o  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

"  The  Turkish  Government  sends  greetings,"  he  said. 
"  But  no  one  has  ever  heard  here  of  such  a  Government 
as  the  United  States.  Will  the  captain  please  explicitly 
describe  what  country  he  hails  from  and  what  govern- 
ment he  represents." 

Bainbridge  thought  for  a  minute,  and  then  made  an- 
swer. 

"  Will  you  say  to  those  who  sent  you,"  he  said,  dis- 
covering that  the  gayly  caparisoned  visitor  was  merely  a 
messenger,  "  that  this  frigate  comes  from  the  country  to 
the  westward — the  New  World — discovered  by  Colum- 
bus? " 

This  seemed  entirely  satisfactory,  and  the  turbaned 
one  took  his  departure  for  the  second  time.  In  a  few 
hours  a  larger  boat  was  seen  approaching  with  the  same 
messenger,  accompanied  by  an  elderly  man,  and  they  came 
on  board  at  once.  They  brought  a  lamb  and  a  bunch  of 
flowers,  the  former  as  an  emblem  of  peace  and  the  latter 
of  welcome. 

The  elderly  man  proved  to  be  the  captain  of  the  port, 
and  he  bore  instructions  to  conduct  the  frigate  into  the 
inner  harbor.  The  anchor  was  tripped  as  she  entered 
into  the  mole,  passing  close  to  the  castle  and  firing  a 
salute  of  twenty-one  guns,  which  apparently  afforded 
much  satisfaction  and  was  returned  promptly. 

Half  an  hour  after  the  George  Washington  had  come 
to  anchor,  although  it  was  now  quite  late,  a  boat  rowed  off 
to  the  ship  with  an  invitation  from  the  Grand  Seignior 
for  the  American  commander  to  appear  before  his  august 
presence.  The  Algerine  ambassador  was  not  mentioned, 
although  word  had  been  sent  of  his  arrival. 

The  Grand  Seignior's  first  remark  was  upon  the  flag 
that  he  had  particularly  noticed. 

"  It  is,  like  my  own,"  he  said,  "  decorated  with  one  of 
the  heavenly  bodies,  and  I  consider  this  coincidence  a 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  71 

good  omen  of  the  future  friendly  intercourse  between 
our  respective  nations.  It  is  most  probable  that  we  have 
many  affinities  of  laws,  religion,  and  manners." 

Bainbridge  tried  to  explain  in  a  few  words  a  little 
about  his  country,  and  the  Sultan  displayed  great  interest 
but  great  ignorance.  The  next  morning  the  Algerine 
ambassador  reported  himself  at  the  palace  but  was  de- 
nied an  audience,  word  being  sent  to  him  to  wait  until 
the  return  of  the  Capudan  Pasha,  or  High  Admiral, 
then  absent  on  a  cruise.  As  the  ambassador  refused  to 
leave  the  ship,  Bainbridge  was  compelled  to  put  up 
with  him  as  a  guest  for  some  time  longer;  but  he  hoped 
the  Capudan  Pasha  would  not  delay  long,  for  he 
was  anxious  to  get  rid  of  his  mission  and  proceed  home- 
ward. 

The  eighth  day  after  the  arrival  of  the  George  Wash- 
ington a  very  resplendent  dragoman  came  offshore,  and 
by  means  of  an  interpreter,  who  spoke  French,  he  in- 
quired of  Captain  Bainbridge  if  the  latter  did  not  know 
that  there  was  such  an  officer  as  the  Reis  Effendi  in  the 
city  of  Constantinople. 

"  You  have  reached  this  port,"  added  the  dragoman, 
"  without  either  the  consent  or  the  acknowledgement  of 
the  Turkish  Government — something  without  precedent 
— and  you  have  neglected  to  report  yourself  to  the  proper 
officer,  and  thereby  you  have  offered  him  an  indignity 
which  requires  a  reparation.  His  Supreme  Royal  High- 
ness, the  Reis  Effendi,  hereby  orders  you  to  report  and 
appear  before  him  to-morrow  morning  at  ten  o'clock." 

Bainbridge  was  nonplused  at  first,  but  he  concluded 
that  it  would  be  best  to  put  on  a  bold  front,  although  he 
did  not  know  against  whom  he  had  offended. 

"  Although  I  command  this  ship,  tell  your  master," 
he  said,  "  I  carry  an  ambassador  with  presents  to  the  Sul- 
tan, and  I  feel  under  no  obligations  to  hold  intercourse 


72  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

with  members  of  the  Government  other  than  an  inter- 
change of  civilities." 

"  No  matter  what  your  own  personal  feelings  may  be," 
responded  the  dragoman,  nodding  significantly,  "  I  advise 
you  not  to  disobey  the  commands  which  I  have  deliv- 
ered." 

"  I  do  not  regard  them  as  commands,"  Bainbridge  said 
rather  hotly,  for  the  understrapper's  insolence  was  cal- 
culated to  disturb  one's  peace  of  mind.  "  And  as  for  his 
threats,  tell  him  they  amount  to  nothing.  This  is  all  I 
have  to  say." 

Upon  thinking  matters  over  later  in  the  day,  it  seemed 
to  him  that  it  would  be  prudent  to  find  out  from  some 
of  the  resident  ministers  of  one  of  the  countries  friendly 
to  the  United  States  exactly  what  position  the  Effendi 
held,  and  what  it  would  be  best  for  him  to  do  under  the 
circumstances.  As  the  United  States  had  no  representa- 
tive at  all  at  the  Sultan's  court,  Bainbridge  accordingly 
waited  on  Lord  Elgin,  the  British  ambassador,  and  told 
him  the  whole  story,  informing  him  of  the  message  he 
had  received  from  the  Reis  Effendi,  and  expressing  a  hope 
that  the  amicable  relations  then  existing  between  their 
respective  governments  would  justify  his  calling  upon 
him  for  such  aid  as  he  might  find  necessary  in  case  any 
trouble  should  arise. 

Lord  Elgin  responded  promptly  by  offering  his  friend- 
ly services,  and  stating  that  the  object  of  the  Reis  Effendi 
was  merely  to  obtain  a  bribe.  He  promised  to  send  a 
message  by  his  dragoman  to  the  importunate  gentleman 
that  would  prevent  all  further  annoyance. 

"  You  see,  Captain  Bainbridge,"  Lord  Elgin  said,  "  the 
Grand  Vizier,  or  Reis  Effendi,  as  he  calls  himself,  is 
actually  next  in  rank  to  the  Sultan.  But  he  and  the  latter 
are  comparative  strangers  for  the  simple  reason  that  the 
Ottoman  potentate  has  no  private  correspondence  or  in- 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  73 

terviews  with  any  high  official  of  his  Government  unless 
it  happens  that  the  officer  has  some  near  relationship 
through  blood  or  marriage — a  most  singular  regulation, 
but  in  this  case  one  that  works  to  your  favor,  for  the 
Effendi  and  the  Sultan  scarcely  speak  to  one  another, 
and  only  meet  at  public  functions." 

After  expressions  of  gratitude  for  his  lordship's  kind- 
ness, Bainbridge  put  back  to  his  ship,  much  reassured,  for 
he  was  placed  in  a  worse  position  in  Constantinople  than 
he  was  in  the  harbor  of  Algiers,  having  no  one  at  all  to 
represent  his  Government,  and  being  under  the  guns  of 
the  fort,  escape  was  beyond  question. 

Two  weeks  went  by,  and  on  the  fourteenth  day  a 
man  working  up  aloft  shouted  down  to  the  deck  of  the 
George  Washington  that  a  large  fleet  of  thirty  or  forty 
sail  was  approaching,  distant  about  six  or  eight  miles. 
Before  sunset  the  Capudan  Pasha,  the  Lord  High  Ad- 
miral, sailed  in,  just  home  from  Egypt,  with  fifteen  sail 
of  the  line  and  thirty  smaller  vessels.  As  the  leading 
battle  ship  entered  the  harbor  the  George  Washington 
fired  a  salute.  But  no  answer  was  given,  for  at  that 
moment  a  heavy  squall  blew  across  the  Bosporus,  and 
many  of  the  vessels  were  taken  all  aback,  the  largest,  the 
flagship,  only  being  saved  from  going  ashore  by  dexterous 
handling.  Bainbridge  was  disappointed  and  hurt  that 
no  attention  had  been  paid  to  his  twenty-one  guns. 
But  the  next  morning,  very  early,  he  was  informed  that 
the  admiral's  private  secretary,  Mr.  Zacbe,  was  waiting 
to  see  him.  Upon  being  ushered  into  the  captain's  pres- 
ence he  advanced,  and,  omitting  the  low  obeisance  of 
the  Ottoman,  he  extended  his  hand  in  European  fashion, 
at  the  same  time  saying  in  good  English: 

'  The  admiral's  compliments  to  Captain  Bainbridge, 
and  he  regrets  that  an  accident  alone  prevented  his  re- 
plying to  the  captain's  courteous  salute.  He  desires  me 

6 


74  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

% 

to  state  that  he  will  return  it  at  noon  to-day,  gun  for 
gun." 

Bainbridge  could  not  help  expressing  his  delight  at 
meeting  one  who  was  close  to  those  high  in  authority, 
who  could  speak  his  language,  and  who  knew  about  his 
country. 

"  Ah,  indeed,  I  know  of  it  well,"  returned  the  ad- 
miral's secretary.  "  I  was  educated  in  Paris  and  London, 
and  while  in  the  former  place  I  had  the  great  pleasure 
of  meeting  the  illustrious  Benjamin  Franklin.  Indeed, 
although  I  was  a  very  young  man,  I  might  say  that  we 
became  good  friends." 

Bainbridge  was  much  taken  with  Mr.  Zacbe's  engag- 
ing manner,  his  demeanor,  and  intelligence,  and  he  held 
quite  a  long  conversation,  in  which  the  secretary  expressed 
himself  as  a  great  admirer  of  the  structure  of  our  insti- 
tutions, and  displayed  no  little  knowledge  of  our  history. 
A  friendship  was  thus  commenced  that  lasted  through 
many  years;  until  Mr.  Zacbe's  death,  in  fact,  regular  cor- 
respondence was  exchanged,  although  Bainbridge  and  he 
were  so  many  thousands  of  miles  apart. 

Promptly  at  twelve  o'clock  the  Turkish  flagship  fired 
a  salute  with  broadside  guns,  after  which  the  captain  re- 
ceived an  invitation  to  visit  the  admiral  at  his  palace, 
which  was  near  to  that  of  the  Sultan  and  not  far  from 
the  water.  Capudan  Pasha  received  the  American  officer 
with  the  greatest  hospitality  and  many  protestations  of 
delight. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

WHEN  Lord  Elgin  was  informed  by  Bainbridge  that 
the  Capudan  Pasha  had  taken  the  George  Washington 
under  his  immediate  protection,  he  was  profuse  in  his 
congratulations,  stating  that  it  was  an  honor  that  had 
been  extended  to  few  vessels,  and  was  full  of  promise  for 
any  negotiations  that  he  might  seek  to  bring  about,  or 
any  favors  he  might  desire  to  ask. 

"  Your  way  is  now  paved,"  he  said,  "  and  no  better 
opportunity  could  present  itself  for  extending  an  entente 
cordiale  between  the  Ottoman  Government  and  your 
own." 

Bainbridge  saw  this,  and  after  his  reception  by  the 
Turkish  admiral  he  invited  the  latter  on  board  the  frigate 
and  made  every  preparation  to  make  a  favorable  impres- 
sion. Although  the  admiral  declined  the  honor  of  din- 
ing, owing  to  the  fact  that  he  would  have  to  meet  the 
ambassador  from  Algiers,  who  had  not  been  accredited,  he 
came  on  board  with  a  large  retinue  in  great  splendor  late 
in  the  afternoon. 

The  ship  was  covered  with  bunting,  the  yardarms  were 
manned,  and  the  crew  were  dressed  in  clean  white  uni- 
forms. The  Capudan  Pasha  was  delighted  with  every- 
thing he  saw.  He  remarked  with  great  approbation  the 
correct  deportment  of  the  officers,  and  praised  highly  the 
discipline  and  subordination  of  the  crew.  He  was  amazed 
at  the  structure  of  the  ship,  the  heaviness  of  her  bulwarks, 
and  the  strength  of  her  timbers;  for,  mind  you,  he  looked 

75 


76  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

at  her  with  a  sailor's  eye.  But  most  he  marveled  at  the 
cleanliness  and  neatness  that  prevailed  throughout.  He 
regretted  frankly  that  such  a  state  of  things  would  never 
be  found  on  board  a  Turkish  vessel,  and  humorously  ex- 
pressed it  that  he  was  afraid  his  junior  officers  would  see 
no  use  in  such  carefulness  and  attention  to  detail. 

Before  he  left  he  invited  Bainbridge  and  his  first 
lieutenant  to  dine  with  him  at  his  palace  on  the  next  day 
but  one. 

Although  this  was  not  a  state  function,  and  there 
were  but  seven  seated  at  the  table,  the  dinner  was  of  great 
importance,  as  Bainbridge  learned  that  the  embassy  which 
he  had  been  at  such  pains  to  bring  thither  was  not  to  be 
accredited  at  all.  The  presents  of  silks  and  satins,  the  lion 
cubs,  and  the  Arabian  steeds  were  all  to  be  returned 
whence  they  came. 

"  What  message  the  Grand  Seignior  intends  to  send 
to  the  Dey  of  Algiers  has  not  yet  been  determined  upon, 
but  the  Sultan  has  expressed  the  greatest  displeasure  at 
the  conduct  of  Algiers,  and  will  probably  demand  of  him 
immediate  reparation  for  the  depredations  he  has  com- 
mitted on  the  commerce  of  Austria  and  other  friendly 
nations,  and  also  for  his  disobedience  in  making  peace 
with  France,  our  enemy." 

Bainbridge  then  told  of  the  insolent  demand  of  the 
Dey  that  he  should  fly  the  Algerine  flag.  When  he  heard 
of  this,  the  Pasha  frowned. 

"  While  in  Ottoman  waters,"  he  said  at  last,  "  pray 
fly  no  flag  but  that  of  your  own  country,  and  as  upon 
your  return  voyage  you  will  still  be  under  my  protection, 
I  respectfully  request  that  you  do  not  fly  any  other  but 
that  which  is  now  at  the  peak  of  your  vessel." 

Altogether  the  dinner  was  a  great  success.  The  great 
English  traveler,  Edward  Daniel  Clarke,  who  had  traveled 
to  Constantinople  from  St.  Petersburg  in  Russia  over- 


\ 


The  Turkish  admiral  visits  the  Washington. 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  77 

land  by  the  way  of  Moscow  and  Odessa,  was  one  of  the 
guests.  He  was  the  first  foreigner  to  make  this  long  and 
hazardous  journey. 

This  was  by  no  means  the  last  of  the  meetings  be- 
tween the  admiral  and  the  American  captain.  Visits  were 
exchanged  on  many  occasions,  and  several  long  excur- 
sions were  made  into  the  surrounding  country  and  up  the 
Thracian  Bosporus,  Bainbridge  penetrating  in  his  long 
boat  even  as  far  as  the  Black  Sea,  where  he  wished  to 
hoist  the  American  flag  for  the  first  time.  He  was  also 
fortunate  enough  to  secure  a  nearer  view  of  the  private 
and  social  life  of  the  Turkish  ruler  than  has  fallen  to  the 
lot  of  many  men,  for  Mr.  Clarke  one  day  presented  him 
to  Count  Browlaski,  a  Pole  in  the  service  of  the  Sultan, 
a  high  officer  in  the  court  circle,  and  one  who  had  im- 
mediate supervision  of  the  gardens  and  the  policing  of 
the  palace  grounds. 

Bainbridge  had  expressed  a  desire  to  see  the  inside  of 
the  seraglio  and  the  harem,  whose  many  grated  windows 
looked  down  upon  the  blue  waters  of  the  bay  from  above 
the  palace  walls.  The  Englishman  at  once  laughed  and 
shrugged  his  shoulders. 

'  That  speech  shows  your  innocence,  Captain  Bain- 
bridge," he  said.  "  No  one,  not  even  our  friend  the  count 
here,  has  had  that  privilege." 

At  this  Count  Browlaski  looked  over  his  shoulder, 
and  observing  that  no  one  was  nigh  them,  he  confided  to 
them  that  if  they  wished  to  run  a  certain  amount  of  risk 
he  thought  the  adventure  might  be  carried  out.  Ac- 
cordingly plans  were  arranged,  and  the  visit  was  success- 
fully accomplished.  Mr.  Clarke,  in  his  book  of  travels, 
mentions  meeting  Captain  Bainbridge,  and  going  with 
him  into  the  inner  recesses  of  the  palace  in  disguise.  He 
dwells  at  some  length  upon  the  dangers  that  were  en- 
countered, but  in  a  letter  to  a  friend  of  his,  Bainbridge 


78  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

made  light  of  them  in  describing  the  same  event.  But 
he  added  generously,  upon  reading  Mr.  Clarke's  account : 
"  One  gentleman  may  honestly  apprehend  great  peril 
where  it  can  not  be  perceived  by  another." 

In  return  for  all  the  courtesies  that  had  been  shown 
him,  Bainbridge  gave  a  large  entertainment  in  the  cabin 
of  the  George  Washington.  Although  the  admiral  again 
declined  the  honor  of  being  present,  he  was  represented 
unofficially  by  Mr.  Zacbe,  his  secretary.  The  disgruntled 
Algerine  ambassador  was  also  present.  He  was  a  man  of 
grave  deportment  and  good  manners,  and  Bainbridge 
had  begun  to  feel  really  sorry  for  him,  owing  to  the  failure 
of  his  mission,  and  the  consequences  that  it  might  entail 
upon  him  and  his  family,  for  eastern  vengeance  does 
not  stop  at  the  principles  involved  in  trouble  or  dis- 
grace. 

It  was  a  remarkable  entertainment  in  more  ways 
than  one.  Upon  the  four  corners  of  the  table  were 
so  many  decanters  containing  fresh  water  from  the  four 
quarters  of  the  globe.  The  natives  of  Europe,  Asia,  Africa, 
and  America  sat  down  together  at  one  board.  Fruits, 
preserved  dishes  and  viands  were  passed  about — a  sample 
of  four  different  continents.  In  writing  of  this  affair,  Mr. 
Clarke  explains  it  thus:  "The  means  of  accomplishing 
this  extraordinary  entertainment  is  easily  understood  by 
his  (Bainbridge's)  having  touched  at  Algiers  in  his  pas- 
sage from  America,  and  his  being  at  anchor  so  near  the 
shores  of  both  Europe  and  of  Asia." 

Two  more  very  important  interviews  Bainbridge  held 
with  the  Capudan  Pasha.  The  first  was  in  answer  to  a 
request  to  know  how  long  it  would  be  expected  of  him  to 
stay  in  port,  and  whether  it  would  be  necessary  for  him  to 
return  the  embassy  which  had  made  such  a  fruitless  jour- 
ney. The  admiral's  reply  to  the  first  was  that  he  did  not 
think  Bainbridge  would  now  be  detained  longer  than  four 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  79 

or  five  days  at  the  outside,  but  he  requested  especially 
that  he  would  return  the  ambassador  and  his  suite,  who 
had  not  been  permitted  to  land  since  their  arrival  in  the 
harbor. 

As  Bainbridge  had  had  many  conversations  with  the 
Pasha  on  the  subject  of  a  treaty  of  commerce  with  the 
Ottoman  Government,  he  could  not  very  well  refuse.  But 
this  was  not  the  only  subject  of  discussion  at  the  meet- 
ing. A  few  minutes  previous  to  Bainbridge's  taking  his 
departure  the  Turkish  admiral  had  incidentally  observed 
that  he  had  not  been  a  little  surprised  to  learn  on  his  re- 
turn to  the  port  that  the  American  frigate  had  not  been 
subjected  to  the  usual  restraints  of  the  Dardanelles. 

"  I  assure  you,  Monsieur  le  Capitaine,  that  it  is  the 
first  time  a  foreign  armored  vessel  has  reached  this  port 
without  our  express  permission  and  a  firman  from  the 
Grand  Seignior — Oh,  do  not  apologize,"  he  added,  see- 
ing that  Bainbridge  was  about  to  speak.  "  I  attach  no 
blame  whatever  to  your  honorable  conduct.  You  are  a 
stranger  to  the  laws  and  customs  of  this  country  and 
could  not  be  expected  to  know  our  rules  and  regulations. 
But,"  he  added,  frowning,  "  it  was,  nevertheless,  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  castle's  duty  to  stop  you  at  the  Dardanelles, 
even  if,  alas!  he  had  to  sink  the  fine  vessel  which  you  have 
the  honor  to  command.  He  is  not  to  escape  punish- 
ment for  this  obvious  breach  of  duty,  for  he  is  at  present 
under  sentence  of  death  for  his  dereliction.  It  requires 
but  my  signature,  and  that,  I  promise  you,  shall  not 
be  withheld.  He  dies  the  day  after  to-morrow  at  sun- 
down." 

Bainbridge  drew  back  in  horror.  The  idea  of  allowing 
an  innocent  man  to  suffer  for  a  doing  of  his  own  was  more 
than  his  just  mind  and  noble  nature  could  brook  for  an 
instant.  No  matter  what  the  consequences  might  be,  he 
would  make  a  statement. 


8o  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

"  I  assure  your  highness  that  the  governor  of  the 
castle  at  the  straits  is  not  even  censurable  for  his  con- 
duct. Believe  me,  it  was  through  no  fault  of  his  that  my 
vessel  came  by  him." 

The  Capudan  Pasha  smiled  and  shrugged  his 
shoulders. 

"  He  should  have  stopped  you  at  all  hazards,  Mon- 
sieur," he  said.  "  Pray  explain  how  any  vessel  could 
pass  those  powerful  batteries  upon  which  the  safety  of 
this  city  depends  without  gross  neglect  on  the  part  of 
the  commander  of  the  castle." 

"  But  he  was  not  neglectful."  Bainbridge  spoke  almost 
loudly  now  in  his  eagerness  to  convince  the  admiral  of  his 
sincerity. — "  He  was  not  neglectful.  He  imagined  that 
I  was  coming  to  anchor.  I  frankly  confess  to  you  that  I 
did  everything  in  my  power  to  deceive  him  into  think- 
ing that  I  was  going  to  comply  with  the  requirements 
of  the  port,  for  I  knew  well  of  the  custom,  and  deter- 
mined to  evade  it,  if  I  could,  to  avoid  delay.  If  any 
one  should  be  punished  it  should  be  myself.  But  I  trust 
that  you  will  consider  the  circumstances  and  my  haste 
to  perform  the  mission  that  I  had  so  unwillingly  under- 
taken." 

Bainbridge  had  no  idea  what  would  be  the  effect  of 
this  remarkable  statement.  The  surprise  of  the  admiral 
was  plain  at  the  outset,  but  as  Bainbridge  proceeded,  the 
frown  gradually  left  his  face  to  be  replaced  by  one  of 
friendly  amazement,  and  when  the  captain  had  finished 
speaking,  the  Pasha  extended  his  hand. 

"  Thanks,  a  thousand  times,  for  your  brave  words,  my 
friend,"  he  said.  "  The  Governor  was  an  old  and  trusted 
friend  of  mine.  I  now  believe  him  to  have  been  a  faithful 
officer.  I  thank  you  from  my  heart  again  for  saving  me 
much  pain,  and  preserving  to  the  service  of  the  Sultan  a 
loyal  servant.  Do  not  fear  that  the  words  you  have  said 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  81 

shall  cause  you  to  suffer  in  any  way.  To-night  one  of  my 
swiftest  sailing  boats  will  leave  bearing  the  message  that 
the  governor  is  pardoned  and  restored  to  his  former  au- 
thority." 

An  English  ship  was  about  sailing  for  the  port  of 
Gibraltar,  and  by  her  Bainbridge  sent  the  following  letter, 
with  a  request  to  the  captain  to  place  it  on  board  the  first 
vessel  bound  for  the  United  States.  The  epistle  was  ad- 
dressed to  his  Excellency  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  of 
the  United  States,  and  read  as  follows: 

"  SIR:  On  the  23d  of  December,  1801,  I  was  requested 
by  the  Capudan  Pasha  to  wait  upon  him  at  his  palace.  I 
was  received  in  a  very  friendly  manner,  and  had  some  con- 
versation respecting  the  formation  of  a  treaty  with  the 
Ottoman  Porte,  and  he  expressed  a  very  great  desire 
that  a  minister  should  be  sent  from  the  United  States  to 
effect  it.  I  informed  him  that  there  was  one  already 
named,  who  at  present  was  in  Lisbon,  and  probably 
would  be  here  in  six  months.  He  said  he  would  write 
to  the  ambassador,  which  letter  would  be  a  protection 
for  him  while  in  the  Turkish  Empire,  and  gave  me  lib- 
erty to  recommend  any  merchant  vessel  to  his  protection 
which  might  wish  to  come  here  previously  to  the  arrival 
of  the  ambassador.  I  thanked  him  in  the  name  of  the 
United  States  for  the  protection  he  had  been  pleased  to 
give  the  frigate  under  my  command,  and  for  his  friendly 
attentions  to  myself  and  officers.  I  conceive  it  to  be  a 
very  fortunate  moment  to  negotiate  an  advantageous 
treaty  with  this  Government.  .  .  .  The  Capudan  Pasha 
requested  me  to  take  two  messengers  and  land  them  at 
Malta,  being  destined  for  Tripoli  and  Tunis,  which  I  have 
consented  to  do,  conceiving  it  to  be  good  policy.  I  think 
it  very  probable  that  the  States  of  Barbary  will  shortly 
receive  chastisement  from  the  Turks." 


82  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

The  ambassador  of  the  Dey  requested  the  honor  of 
an  interview  with  Bainbridge  the  next  morning.  He  was 
found  in  a  towering  rage,  and  was  almost  unintelligible, 
as  he  tried  to  explain  that  at  last  the  Grand  Seignior  had 
condescended  to  answer  him.  He  said  he  was  directed  to 
return  at  once  to  Algiers,  which  country  was  ordered  to 
immediately  declare  war  against  France;  his  master,  the 
Dey,  was  to  be  compelled  to  pay  the  large  sum  of  one 
million  of  piastres,  and  that  only  sixty  days  were  to  be 
allowed  for  the  transmitting  of  this  dispatch  to  Algiers 
and  for  an  answer  to  be  returned  to  Constantinople.  If 
this  time  was  exceeded  war  would  be  at  once  declared  on 
Algiers. 

The  ambassador  begged  and  implored  Bainbridge  to 
make  haste  and  leave  the  shores  of  Turkey  behind  him. 
All  his  airs  of  superiority  and  importance  disappeared.  He 
was  a  frightened,  cringing,  and  well-nigh  hopeless  crea- 
ture whose  ruin  stared  him  in  the  face.  As  Bainbridge 
had  been  requested  to  wait  upon  the  Capudan  Pasha  the 
next  morning,  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  leave  until 
this  was  complied  with;  but  yielding  to  the  importuni- 
ties of  the  frightened  ambassador,  he  sent  a  messenger 
to  the  palace,  asking  that  he  should  be  allowed  to  see 
the  admiral  in  the  afternoon  in  order  that  he  might  sail 
at  daybreak  the  next  morning.  Word  came  back  that 
the  Pasha  would  be  glad  to  see  him. 

After  presenting  Bainbridge  with  a  letter  addressed 
to  the  Honorable  William  Smith,  minister  plenipotentiary 
of  the  United  States  at  the  port  of  Lisbon,  the  admiral 
turned  with  a  great  deal  of  courtesy  and  said  the  following 
words  in  parting: 

"  As  your  ship  has  been  under  my  protection,  she  shall 
receive  the  honors  that  are  reserved  exclusively  for  my 
flag.  In  passing  the  fortress  of  Tapana  it  will  salute  you, 
which,  of  course,  you  will  return." 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  83 

By  regulation  this  fortress  saluted  no  one  but  the 
Capudan  Pasha,  and  the  compliment  had  never  before 
been  extended  to  any  foreign  vessel  of  war,  nor  even  to 
Turkish  vessels  commanded  by  a  less  personage  than  an 
admiral;  but,  what  was  more  important,  Bainbridge  bore 
away  with  him  passports  for  the  George  Washington 
which  entitled  that  vessel  and  her  commander  at  all 
times  to  greatest  respect  in  Turkish  ports,  and  from  all 
ships  of  that  empire. 

The  officer  at  the  Dardanelles,  who  had  been  restored 
to  his  command,  sensible  of  the  gallant  conduct  of  Bain- 
bridge,  invited  him  to  his  castle,  and  in  the  most  feeling 
manner  thanked  him  for  having  saved  his  life  when  he 
had  given  up  all  hope  and  made  his  last  will,  excepting 
surely  to  perish.  He  insisted  upon  presenting  the  frigate 
with  almost  a  cargo  of  fresh  provisions  and  fruit,  and 
he  parted  from  the  captain  with  renewed  assurances  of 
endless  gratitude. 


CHAPTER  X. 

IT  was  the  2ist  of  January,  1801,  when  the  George 
Washington  arrived  again  off  Algiers,  but  Bainbridge  had 
profited  by  the  lesson  he  had  learned,  and  he  brought  his 
ship  to  anchor  outside  of  the  mole  and  beyond  the  range 
of  the  harbor  batteries. 

As  soon  as  he  had  appeared,  two  large  sailboats  put 
out  to  meet  him;  one  contained  Mr.  O'Brien  and  the 
other  a  representative  of  the  Dey,  and  it  was  a  race  to 
see  which  one  would  arrive  first.  O'Brien's  sailboat,  how- 
ever, caught  a  bad  current  by  keeping  too  close  to  the 
shore,  and  the  regent's  boat  was  the  first  alongside.  Bain- 
bridge  received  the  court  officer  without  much  ceremony, 
and  was  rather  amused  to  notice  that  the  effect  of  seeing 
the  returned  embassy  depressed  the  very  consequential 
individual. 

Before  he  had  asked  any  questions  of  his  country- 
man, he  hastened  to  deliver  a  message  for  his  master,  in 
the  following  words:  "  His  High  Mightiness  the  Dey  has 
noticed  at  what  distance  the  honorable  captain  has 
dropped  anchor,  and  he  expresses  great  solicitude  that 
immediately  the  frigate  should  be  moved  nearer  the 
city.  It  surely  must  be  inconvenient,  his  High  Mighti- 
ness fears,  for  the  officers  to  have  communication  with 
the  shore." 

As  the  messenger  was  still  speaking  O'Brien  came  on 
board. 

"Listen  to  the  blackguard!"  he  exclaimed,  after 

84 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  85 

greeting  Bainbridge.  "  Listen  to  the  palvering  old 
scamp!  " 

"  He  would  have  me  under  the  guns  of  his  fortress 
again  if  he  could,"  Bainbridge  said,  half  smiling;  "  but 
he  won't  get  me  there  so  easily  this  time." 

"  I  see  you've  returned  the  menagerie,"  commented 
O'Brien. 

"  Yes,  and  I'll  be  glad  to  be  rid  of  them,"  said  Bain- 
bridge, watching  the  preparations  that  were  being  made 
for  the  Moslems  to  leave  the  ship. 

Indeed  it  was  a  great  relief  when  the  last  one  had  gone 
over  the  side,  and  were  it  not  for  one  thing,  the  American 
captain  would  have  made  all  haste  to  get  away.  But 
previous  to  sailing  he  had  taken  aboard  as  ballast  a  large 
number  of  old  iron  cannon,  which  he  promised  to  return, 
and  he  felt  himself  in  duty  bound  to  do  so.  And  so  he 
called  away  his  gig,  and,  accompanied  by  the  consul,  he 
rowed  into  the  harbor,  intending  to  obtain  an  interview 
with  the  Dey;  but  again  he  was  disappointed  in  securing  a 
direct  audience,  and  had  to  be  content  carrying  on  a 
species  of  verbal  correspondence  through  the  medium  of 
one  of  the  court  officials. 

Bainbridge  had  allowed  Mr.  O'Brien  to  begin  the 
negotiations,  but  the  Dey's  reply  to  the  usual  formal 
greetings  showed  his  position  clearly.  Point-blank  he 
made  the  request  to  the  consul  general  to  order  Bain- 
bridge to  return  at  once  with  his  messenger  to  Constanti- 
nople. Bainbridge,  upon  hearing  this,  could  not  contain 
his  indignation.  Whirling  suddenly,  he  advanced  upon 
the  astonished  minister  and  in  loud  tones  delivered  him- 
self of  the  following  speech,  while  poor  Mr.  O'Brien  al- 
most collapsed  in  a  state  of  fright,  fearing  the  result  of  his 
friend's  temerity: 

"  Tell  your  master,"  Bainbridge  said  fiercely  to  the  in- 
terpreter, "  that  he  has  forgotten  the  oath  he  swore  not  to 


86  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

make  any  further  demands  upon  me  after  the  first  voyage 
was  performed.  Now,  in  the  face  of  such  a  solemn  declara- 
tion, he  makes  another  insolent  request.  Any  one  who 
thus  proves  his  unworthiness  should  be  denied  all  cre- 
dence. Tell  him  I  do  not  doubt  his  disposition  to  capture 
my  frigate  and  enslave  my  officers  and  crew.  To  preserve 
peace  I  complied  with  his  first  demand.  I  have  done 
everything  which  the  commander  of  a  ship  would  be  justi- 
fied in  doing  to  prevent  hostilities;  but,  mark  you,  if  the 
Dey  is  determined  to  have  war,  if  he  is  so  mad  as  to  make 
the  Americans  his  enemy,  he  soon  will  have  cause  to 
regret  it." 

With  these  words  Bainbridge  beckoned  for  the  consul 
to  follow  him,  and  stalked  out  of  the  palace.  In  addition 
to  the  letter  which  has  been  quoted,  Bainbridge  had 
written  another  one  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  saying 
that  he  anticipated  a  demand  of  this  character,  but  giv- 
ing assurance  that  he  intended  to  resist  it,  "  believing 
that  the  Government  of  the  United  States  would  never 
sanction  an  act  so  humiliating." 

The  following  morning  he  requested  from  Mr.  O'Brien 
that  he  send  lighters  off  to  the  ship  to  receive  the  old 
cannon;  but  the  Dey,  hearing  of  this,  not  only  forbade 
the  consul  making  use  of  lighters,  but  declared  that  in 
the  event  of  the  guns  not  being  returned  at  once,  war 
would  immediately  be  made  upon  the  United  States. 

The  consul,  much  frightened,  asked  Bainbridge  to  set- 
tle matters  by  running  his  ship  into  the  mole  and  deliver- 
ing up  the  cannon.  Bainbridge  refused  to  do  this  until  he 
had  received  a  positive  promise  from  the  Dey  that  he  should 
not  be  approached  upon  the  subject  of  a  second  voyage. 
Reluctantly  this  was  given,  but  there  was  to  be  a  dramatic 
scene  in  consequence.  When  Bainbridge  came  ashore 
after  seeing  that  the  cannon  were  hoisted  over  the  side 
on  to  the  dock,  he  was  met  by  a  court  official  accom- 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  87 

panied  by  some  thirty  or  forty  armed  janizaries,  and  word 
was  given  him  that  the  Dey  requested  his  presence  on 
a  matter  of  the  utmost  importance. 

Leaving  orders  with  his  first  lieutenant  to  begin  at 
once  to  warp  the  ship  out  into  the  harbor  and  set  sail 
if  he  did  not  return  within  two  hours,  taking  with  him 
only  a  midshipman,  Bainbridge  waited  upon  "  his  High 
Mightiness  "  at  the  palace  and  found  him  in  a  towering 
rage. 

"  Dog  of  a  Christian,  down  on  your  knees!  "  shrieked 
the  Dey,  pointing  to  the  floor  at  his  feet.  "  Down,  I  say!  " 
he  continued,  jumping  up  as  he  noticed  that  Bainbridge's 
only  reply  was  a  calm  folding  of  his  arms  and  a  more 
erect  carriage  to  his  figure,  in  every  motion  of  which 
the  little  midshipman  accompanied  him. 

The  Dey  was  absolutely  foaming  and  spluttering  in 
his  wrath.  He  drew  his  long  curved  scimiter,  and  at  the 
motion  the  crowd  of  armed  men  drew  theirs  also.  The 
minutes  that  Bainbridge  and  his  little  companion  had 
to  live  seemed  numbered,  when  suddenly  the  captain 
thought  of  the  firman  that  he  had  thrust  in  his  pocket  a 
minute  before  he  had  left  shipboard.  Not  having  the 
least  idea  of  what  the  result  would  be  he  drew  it  forth. 
At  sight  of  the  document,  with  its  two  ponderous  seals, 
the  Dey's  jaw  dropped,  and  sheathing  his  weapon,  he 
fell  back  timorously  before  Bainbridge,  who,  backed  up 
by  the  unflinching  little  middy,  advanced  upon  him,  un- 
rolling the  document  and  displaying  it  triumphantly  for 
the  Dey's  inspection.  Only  in  the  Arabian  Nights  could 
any  one  read  of  such  transformations  being  enacted. 
It  was  as  if  he  had  pronounced  some  magic  word — some 
open  sesame — whose  power  was  resistless.  With  a  weak 
motion  to  his  astonished  court  the  Dey  bade  them  with- 
draw, and,  to  the  American  captain's  wonderment,  he  found 
confronting  him,  not  an  arrogant,  bloodthirsty  tyrant, 


88  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

but  a  cringing,  humble  dependent,  alone  but  for  a  single 
dragoman  who  had  prostrated  himself  upon  the  floor. 
Almost  abjectly  he  requested  the  honor  of  having  the 
American  captain  sit  down  beside  him  on  the  divan.  As 
Bainbridge  wrote,  "  his  bearing  became  less  lofty,  his 
words  honeyed,  and  his  offers  of  service  most  liberal." 

The  Dey  cut  down  the  flagstaff  before  the  French 
consulate,  declared  war  against  France,  and  made  prepa- 
rations to  send  an  installment  of  the  money  demanded 
by  the  Sultan,  amounting  to  one  million  five  hundred 
thousand  piastres,  and  humble  apology  thrown  in,  to 
Turkey. 

By  orders  of  the  Sultan  also  he  had  been  compelled 
to  liberate  about  four  hundred  Venetians,  Maltese,  and 
Sicilians,  whom  he  had  taken  prisoners  \vhen  they  were 
traveling  under  the  protection  of  British  passports.  All 
these  people  hailed  Bainbridge  as  their  generous  de- 
liverer. 

Just  before  he  was  ready  to  sail,  it  was  rumored  that 
the  citizens  of  the  French  Republic,  fifty-six  in  number, 
consisting  of  men,  women,  and  children,  had  been  by 
the  Dey's  orders  thrown  into  chains  and  treated  as  slaves. 
Bainbridge  and  Mr.  O'Brien  waited  upon  the  Dey, 
and  expressed  to  him  their  ideas  about  such  treatment. 

"All  right,"  the  Dey  returned;  "then  they  must 
leave  Algiers  in  forty-eight  hours." 

"  There  are  no  vessels  ready  to  convey  us.  Grant  us 
more  time,"  prayed  Monsieur  Dubois  de  Trainville,  who 
was  present  at  the  interview. 

"  Our  countries  are  now  at  war,"  he  added,  turning 
to  Bainbridge;  "but  I  beseech  you,  for  the  cause  of  hu- 
manity, to  take  me  and  the  other  French  prisoners  aboard 
of  your  ship." 

But  the  consul  had  only  anticipated  Bainbridge's  own 
desire,  the  captain  giving  up  his  own  cabin  for  the  use 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 


89 


of  the  ladies,  and  supplying  them  all  with  the  necessities 
for  the  voyage,  for  the  poor  French  people  left  Algiers 
in  such  a  hurry  that  they  had  time  to  procure  nothing 
but  the  clothes  they  wore. 

The  George  Washington,  bidding  farewell  to  Algiers, 
set  sail  for  France,  and  after  a  short  passage  arrived  safely 
at  Alicante.  The  gratitude  of  the  people  whom  he  had 
saved  was  unbounded,  and  Napoleon,  at  that  time  first 


Alicante. 

consul,  tendered  his  "  acknowledgments  and  thanks  to 
Captain  Bainbridge  for  the  important  services  he  had 
rendered  the  republic,  with  assurances  that  such  kind 
offices  would  always  be  remembered,  and  reciprocated 
with  pleasure  whenever  occasion  offered." 

From  Alicante,  Bainbridge  set  sail  for  America,  and 
after  explaining  and  reporting  to  the  President  in  per- 
son, the  latter  expressed  his  approbation,  and  even  com- 
mended him  for  the  judicious  and  skillful  manner  in  which 

7 


90  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

he  had  discharged  his  duty  while  under  the  pressure  of 
such  extraordinary  circumstances. 

A  historian,  writing  contemporaneously  of  these  times, 
says  as  follows:  "This  humiliating  condition  in  which 
Captain  Bainbridge  was  placed  arose  out  of  the  feeble 
policy  of  our  Government  in  stipulating  to  purchase  an 
immunity  from  insult  to  our  citizens,  and  spoliations  on 
our  commerce  by  paying  an  annual  tribute  to  barbarians 
whom  it  could  have  readily  controlled  by  force.  There  is 
no  other  way  of  giving  complete  protection  to  our  citi- 
zens and  to  our  property  afloat  than  by  '  the  cannon's 
mouth.'  Dearly-bought  experience  has  proved  the  utter 
fallacy  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  scheme  of  preserving  peace  by 
pursuing  a  pacific  and  upright  policy  toward  all  nations. 
The  point  is  now  settled,  however,  that  nothing  less  than 
an  exhibition  of  force  and  willingness  to  exercise  it  can 
maintain  unimpaired  our  national  rights  and  dignity." 

Indeed,  it  is  most  remarkable  when  we  think  that  the 
United  States  could  have  so  long  put  up  with  this  con- 
dition of  affairs.  There  were  many  who  saw  that  it  could 
end  but  one  way,  and  advocated  a  very  different  line  of 
action.  Among  these  was  the  young  officer  who,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-six,  had  conducted  himself  with  such  a 
display  of  knowledge  and  judgment.  It  was  safe  to  assert 
that  he  would  answer  for  himself  in  the  event  of  troublous 
times. 


CHAPTER  XL 

IT  was  Bainbridge's  good  fortune  to  find  his  wife  and 
all  his  relations  well.  Another  happy  reunion  was  held 
at  Middletown.  But  in  the  latter  part  of  May  a  long 
envelope  was  handed  to  him,  which  he  read  to  all  those 
grouped  about  the  table,  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
and  couched  in  the  following  terms:  "  Appreciating  high- 
ly your  character  as  an  officer,  the  President  has  selected 
you  to  command  the  frigate  Essex,  and  has  placed  the 
whole  squadron  under  the  command  of  Commodore  Rich- 
ard Dale,  to  whose  orders  he  enjoins  you  to  pay  strict 
attention  and  due  obedience." 

As  the  Essex  was  then  in  New  York,  Bainbridge  joined 
her  at  once,  and  found  that  the  squadron  preparing  for 
sea  consisted  of  the  President,  flagship  of  Commodore 
Dale;  the  Philadelphia,  under  command  of  Captain  Bar- 
ron;  his  own  vessel  the  Essex;  and  the  schooner  Enter- 
prise, under  command  of  Commandant  Sterrett.  It  was 
intended  that  these  ships  should  proceed  to  the  Medi- 
terranean to  protect  American  commerce,  with  whose  in- 
terests the  Bashaw  of  Tripoli  had  seen  fit  to  interfere. 
Bainbridge  was  rejoiced  to  go  on  this  expedition,  and  de- 
lighted that  he  should  have  been  honored  with  the  com- 
mand of  so  fine  a  vessel  as  the  Essex.  He  was  most  for- 
tunate to  have  under  him  a  fine  body  of  young  officers  and 
seamen.  His  first  lieutenant  was  a  man  of  character  and 
determination;  there  was  not  much  difference  in  their 
ages,  and  his  name  was  Stephen  Decatur. 


92  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

After  a  pleasant  voyage,  the  squadron  arrived  at  Gib- 
raltar on  the  ist  of  July,  where  two  large  Tripolitan  cor- 
sairs were  found  at  anchor.  The  Philadelphia  was  detailed 
to  watch  the  movements  of  the  Tripolitans,  while  the 
Essex  was  dispatched  to  Marseilles,  Barcelona,  Alicante, 
and  other  ports  on  the  coast,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting 
the  American  merchant  fleet,  preparatory  to  escorting  it 
through  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar. 

Barcelona  was  the  first  port  visited.  The  Yankee 
frigate  was  received  with  a  great  deal  of  courtesy,  and  all 
went  well  for  the  first  few  days,  until  the  officers  of  a 
Spanish  guard  ship,  angered  and  jealous  because  of  the 
comments  of  their  countrymen  in  comparing  their  own 
craft  with  that  of  the  Americans,  decided  to  make  it 
disagreeable  for  officers  going  on  shore  or  passing  off  to  the 
vessel.  So  they  stopped  three  or  four  boats  and  insulted 
the  officers.  The  morning  after  this  occurrence  Decatur 
rowed  to  the  Spaniard,  and  demanded  to  see  the  officer 
in  command — intending  to  challenge  him,  for  duels 
were  then  common  occurrences.  When  he  was  told  that 
the  lieutenant  he  was  after  had  gone  ashore,  he  left 
the  following  message  for  him,  to  be  given  to  him  on  his 
return:  "Tell  the  man  who  threatened  to  fire  into  an 
unarmed  boat's  crew  that  Lieutenant  Decatur,  of  the 
Essex,  denounces  him  as  a  cowardly  scoundrel,  and  when 
they  meet  on  shore  he  will  cut  his  ears  off." 

Luckily,  however,  no  meeting  took  place,  for  it  is 
without  doubt  that  Lieutenant  Decatur  would  have  done 
his  best  to  carry  out  his  threat. 

It  might  be  unfair  to  leave  the  subject,  however,  with- 
out stating  that  the  insolent  Spanish  officer  was  com- 
pelled to  apologize. 

Sailing  from  Barcelona  with  a  large  fleet  of  merchant- 
men that  had  been  collected  in  the  various  harbors  of 
the  Mediterranean,  the  Essex  saw  them  safely  outside  of 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  93 

the  strait  and  returned  to  Gibraltar,  where  it  was  learned 
that  the  Tripolitan  corsairs  had  been  successfully  cooped 
up  and  been  dismantled  by  the  Philadelphia,  and  the  crews 
sent  over  to  Africa  in  small  boats  by  night,  to  make  their 
way  to  Tripoli  across  the  desert,  while  the  Tripolitan  ad- 
miral had  taken  passage  in  an  English  vessel  bound  for 
Malta. 

Bainbridge  cruised  in  different  parts  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean during  the  winter  and  spring,  and  showed  himself 
off  the  cities  of  Tunis,  Algiers,  and  Tripoli. 

The  Essex  needing  repairs,  she  was  ordered  to  return 
home,  where  she  arrived  in  July,  1802. 

In  the  harbor  of  New  York  there  was  a  little  trouble 
with  the  crew,  who  insisted  upon  being  discharged  and  paid 
off,  as  their  time  had  expired;  but,  owing  to  Bainbridge's 
promptness,  a  mutiny  was  averted  and  the  frigate  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  Washington,  and  after  some  delay 
reached  the  navy  yard  early  in  August,  where  she  was  dis- 
mantled in  order  to  make  the  necessary  repairs. 

Bainbridge,  who  had  removed  his  family  to  Philadel- 
phia, was  not  loath  to  receive  orders  for  shore  duty  as  soon 
as  his  leave  of  absence  was  up.  He  was  connected  with 
the  Ordnance  Department,  and  superintended  the  build- 
ing of  the  brig  Siren  and  the  schooner  Vixen.  It  was 
not  till  the  2ist  of  May,  1803,  that  he  received  sailing 
orders,  and  was  given  the  command  of  the  frigate  Phila- 
delphia, forty-four  guns. 

She  was  soon  ordered  attached  to  the  squadron  of 
Commodore  Preble,  consisting  of  the  flagship  Constitu- 
tion of  forty-four  guns;  the  brig  Siren  of  twelve  guns, 
under  command  of  Captain  Stewart;  the  schooner  Vixen 
of  fourteen  guns,  Lieutenant-Commandant  J.  Smith;  the 
Argus  of  sixteen  guns,  under  command  of  Lieutenant- 
Commandant  I.  Hull;  the  Nautilus  of  twelve  guns,  Lieu- 
tenant-Commander R.  Somers;  Enterprise  of  twelve 


94 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


guns,  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Commandant  Stephen 
Decatur.  The  whole  expedition  was  fitted  out  with  the 
intention  of  cruising  in  the  Mediterranean,  but  as  it  would 
be  some  time  before  they  would  all  be  ready,  Bainbridge 
received  orders  on  the  I3th  of  July  to  proceed  with  his 
frigate,  the  Philadelphia,  in  advance  of  the  others,  and, 
under  the  authority  of  an  act  of  Congress,  to  subdue,  seize, 
and  make  prize  of  all  vessels,  goods,  and  effects  belong- 
ing to  the  Bashaw  of  Tripoli  or  his  subjects,  who  had  de- 
clared war  against  the  United  States. 

Once  more  Bainbridge  found  under  his  orders  a  fine 
body  of  officers.  Their  names  have  since  become  known 
to  history.  David  Porter  was  his  first  lieutenant,  Jacob 
Jones  his  second,  Theodore  Hunt  and  Benjamin  Smith, 
his  third  and  fourth,  respectively.  Among  the  midship- 
men we  find  James  Biddle,  Robert  Gamble,  James  Ren- 
shaw,  and  D.  T.  Patterson. 

On  the  26th  of  August  the  Philadelphia  was  off 
Cabo  de  Gata,  a  promontory  on  the  coast  of  Spain.  It 


Location  of  Ports  in  the  Mediterranean. 

was  blowing  very  fresh,  and  only  a  mile  or  so  distant  was 
seen  a  large  ship  carrying  only  her  foresail,  and  just  astern 
of  her  was  a  little  brig,  evidently  in  her  company.  It  was 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  95 

so  dark  that  it  was  impossible  to  determine  the  character 
of  either  vessel;  but  at  early  daybreak  they  were  quite 
near  to  hand,  and  it  was  perceived  that  the  ship  was 
heavily  armed,  although  all  of  her  guns  were  housed.  Her 
appearance  was  suspicious,  as  her  decks  swarmed  with 
swarthy  men,  and  she  displayed  no  flag. 

Without  stating  who  he  was,  Bainbridge  hailed  her, 
and  ordered  her  to  send  a  boat  and  one  of  her  officers  on 
board  of  him  at  once.  The  fact  that  the  brig  was  so  close 
to  the  other  almost  confirmed  him  in  his  suspicions  that  she 
was  a  prize.  The  officer  who  boarded  the  Philadelphia 
in  obedience  to  the  command  was  dressed  in  European 
costume  and  spoke  both  French  and  Spanish.  He  denied 
that  the  brig  was  a  prize,  but  confessed  that  she  was  an 
American,  and  had  been  with  them  four  or  five  days,  but 
was  not  in  any  way  detained.  He  stated  that  his  own 
ship  was  a  Moorish  cruiser  of  twenty-two  guns  and  carry- 
ing one  hundred  and  twenty  men;  that  she  belonged  to 
the  Emperor  of  Morocco;  that  her  name  was  the  Mesh- 
boha;  and  that  she  was  commanded*  by  Ibrahim  Lubarez. 

Lieutenant  Porter  rowed  off  to  the  ship  in  order  to 
see  if  there  were  any  American  prisoners  on  board,  but 
Captain  Lubarez  prevented  his  boarding,  and  as  this  in- 
creased Bainbridge's  suspicion,  he  sent  a  boat  filled  with 
armed  men  to  enforce  his  commands. 

But  let  the  story  be  told  in  Captain  Bainbridge's 
own  words:  "  No  opposition  was  offered  to  this  force; 
they  (the  boat's  crew)  found  Captain  Richard  Rowen,  of 
the  American  brig  Cecilia,  owned  by  Amasa  Thayer,  of 
Boston,  and  seven  of  his  crew,  who  were  taken  on  the 
1 7th  of  August,  twenty-five  miles  eastward  of  Malaga, 
whither  they  were  bound.  The  Moors  confined  them 
under  deck,  which  they  always  do  when  speaking  a  vessel 
the  character  of  which  is  not  known.  The  Moorish  cap- 
tain displayed  a  passport  that  had  been  obtained  from  the 


96  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

United  States  consul  at  Tangiers,  and,  on  seeing  this, 
Bainbridge  had  no  hesitation  in  making  all  on  board 
prisoners  because  of  the  violation  of  faith. 

"  The  Americans  were  taken  off  and  placed  back  on 
their  own  vessel,  and  allowed  to  depart  for  Malaga.  The 
morning  after  the  capture,  Bainbridge  held  a  conversation 
at  some  length  with  Ibrahim.  He  asked  him  why  he 
should  so  violate  all  rules  of  honor  by  capturing  the  vessel 
of  a  friendly  nation  while  sailing  under  her  passport.  The 
wily  Mohammedan  said  at  first  that  his  sole  reason  was 
the  fact  that  he  supposed  his  country  and  the  United 
States  would  soon  be  at  war." 

"  Is  that  the  truth?  "  questioned  Bainbridge,  upon 
hearing  this. 

The  Moor  signified  assent. 

"  Then,  sir,"  returned  Bainbridge  sternly,  "  I  must 
consider  you  a  pirate,  and  will  be  obliged  to  treat  you  as 
such.  If  in  one  quarter  of  an  hour  your  authority  for 
preying  upon  the  commerce  of  the  United  States  is  not 
forthcoming,  I'll  hang  you  to  yonder  main  yardarm  as  a 
malefactor." 

With  that  he  sent  the  trembling  wretch  into  the  cabin 
under  guard,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  had  him 
brought  on  deck.  A  rope  was  wove  with  a  noose  at  the 
end  of  it,  and  one  glance  at  that  and  his  captor's  deter- 
mined countenance,  and  the  Moor's  knees  began  to 
tremble.  Hastily  he  unbuttoned  several  waistcoats,  and 
from  the  inside  pocket  of  the  fifth  he  drew  out  a  docu- 
ment. It  was  a  paper  signed  by  the  Emperor  of  Mo- 
rocco authorizing  the  capture  of  American  vessels.  This 
saved  the  Moor's  life,  and  the  paper  was  sent  to  Com- 
modore Preble  at  Gibraltar.  It  was  a  discovery  of  great 
importance. 

After  discovering  that  the  captain  of  the  Meshboha 
was  not  acting  on  his  own  responsibility,  but  really  under 


COMMODORE    BAINBR1DGE.  97 

orders  of  his  Government,  Bainbridge  treated  him  with 
great  courtesy,  and  also  gave  orders  to  treat  the  other 
prisoners  not  as  pirates  but  as  prisoners  of  war,  and  one 
of  the  Philadelphia's  own  seamen  was  punished  for  strik- 
ing one  of  the  Moorish  sailors. 

Bainbridge  now  made  sail  for  Cape  St.  Vincent,  hear- 
ing that  a  Moorish  thirty-gun  ship  was  cruising  in  that 
quarter.  The  search  for  her  was  unsuccessful,  and  he  re- 
turned to  the  Mediterranean  to  cruise  off  Tripoli. 

In  a  few  days  Commodore  Preble  arrived,  and  as  soon 
as  he  had  learned  of  the  proceedings  he  set  sail  forTangiers 
and  demanded  instant  reparation  from  the  Emperor  of 
Morocco.  The  Emperor  said  that  the  Moorish  cruisers 
had  not  sailed  under  his  orders  but  under  those  of  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Tangiers,  and  he  at  once  made  a  scapegoat  of  the 
latter,  although  it  is  perfectly  apparent  that  he  was  really 
the  author  of  the  whole  trouble. 

Commodore  Preble  thanked  Bainbridge  officially  and  in 
person  for  his  vigilance  and  foresight,  and  Congress  voted 
afterward  prize  money  to  the  value  of  the  Moorish  vessel 
to  be  divided  among  the  crew. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

BAINBRIDGE  was  sitting  in  his  cabin  late  one  morning 
looking  over  some  maps  when  Lieutenant  Porter  stopped 
at  the  cabin  door. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Porter,"  said  Captain  Bainbridge,  looking 
up  and  smiling,  "  come  in.  Did  you  wish  to  speak  to 
me?" 

'  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Porter,  entering.  "  You  remember 
the  news  that  the  captain  of  the  Neapolitan  merchant 
brig  gave  us  the  day  before  yesterday,  saying  that  a  Tri- 
politan  brig  had  just  sailed  out  for  a  cruise." 

"  Indeed  I  do,"  cried  the  captain  eagerly.  "  Did  the 
Vixen  capture  her?  She  could  not  have  been  far  be- 
hind." 

"  No,"  Porter  answered;  "  but  there  is  a  strange  sail, 
evidently  a  Tripolitan,  standing  close  inshore." 

"  Let's  up  and  have  a  look  at  her,"  Bainbridge  laughed, 
jamming  his  heavy  hat  down  upon  his  brows.  "  I  think 
a  little  excitement  would  do  us  good.  How's  the  wind?  " 

"  About  due  east,  sir." 

It  was  nine  o'clock,  for  two  bells  were  struck  just  as 
the  captain  and  the  lieutenant  returned  on  deck.  The 
former  took  a  squint  through  the  telescope  at  the  white 
sail  inshore  and  then  turned  hurriedly. 

"  It  is  the  cruiser;  I'd  almost  swear  to  it,"  he  ex- 
claimed. "  Make  all  sail,  and  take  after  her.  We  are  but 
six  or  seven  leagues  to  the  east  of  Tripoli,  and,  by  George! 

98 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  99 

we'll  head  her  off.  We've  .got  all  the  water  we  wish  under 
our  keel;  let's  put  our  best  foot  forward." 

There  was  much  bustle  and  bawling  as  the  Phila- 
delphia broke  out  her  studding  sails  and  spread  her  royals, 
and  slowly  she  began  to  creep  up  upon  the  chase,  that 
was  no  mean  sailer  by  the  way,  and  had  spread  a  great 
lanteen  sail  forward  that  stretched  almost  to  the  water's 
edge  over  her  bulwarks.  In  a  few  minutes  over  an  hour 
the  corsair  was  in  within  long  range,  and  as  it  was  per- 
ceived that  she  was  armed,  Bainbridge  began  to  fire  at 
her  with  his  forward  division ;  most  of  the  balls  fell  short, 
but  the  firing  did  not  interfere  in  the  least  with  the  other's 
attempt  to  get  away.  In  fact  she  seemed  to  increase  her 
speed,  and  did  not  make  a  response,  although  the  long- 
range  practice  was  kept  up  until  half-past  eleven.  By  this 
time  the  entrance  to  the  harbor  was  in  full  view,  and  it 
became  apparent  that  to  reach  there  in  advance  of  the 
other  vessel  was  an  impossibility. 

Bainbridge  and  Porter  had  made  frequent  observation 
of  the  chart,  and  the  deep-sea  and  the  hand  lead  had  been 
busy.  The  soundings  ran  from  seven  fathoms  to  ten, 
and  the  chart  showed  clear  water  up  to  the  harbor's 
mouth.  Reluctantly  Bainbridge  gave  orders  to  take  in 
sail  and  abandon  the  chase.  The  foresail  was  dropped, 
the  helm  was  ordered  hard  aport,  and  the  Philadelphia 
began  to  haul  offshore.  There  was  a  strong  current 
setting  in  toward  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  but  the 
wind  was  fresh,  and  soon  the  frigate  had  good  headway 
on  her. 

"  It  is  a  shame  to  give  up  after  getting  so  close  up," 
grumbled  Lieutenant  Porter,  noticing  that  the  corsair 
had  taken  in  her  sails,  evidently  satisfied  that  she  had 
shown  the  big  ship  a  clean  pair  of  heels. 

Bainbridge  had  picked  up  a  glass  and  was  squinting 
over  the  taffrail  at  the  low-lying  coast  and  the  clustering 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


white-walled  houses  and  spires  that  marked  the  city  of 
Tripoli. 

"  By  George,  sir,  look  at  that  fleet  of  small  craft  lying 
alongside  the  wall  just  inside  the  harbor!  "  he  exclaimed, 
handing  the  glass  to  Porter. 

"  Not  so  very  small,"  the  lieutenant  replied;  "  I  should 
judge  those  vessels  ranged  from  thirty  to  ninety  tons  or 
more.  They  are  the  craft  which  do  the  most  damage  to 
our  shipping — pirates,  every  man-jack  of  them!" 

No  sooner  had  he  finished  speaking  than  Bainbridge 
made  a  quick  spring  forward.  He  had  been  listening  to 
the  monotonous  voice  of  the  man  heaving  the  lead,  and 
the  last  sounding  had  filled  him  with  a  sudden  consterna- 
tion. Eight  fathoms — and  the  next  heave  seven! — it  was 
impossible,  but  he  was  not  the  only  one  who  was  listening. 

"Plash!"  went  the  lead. 

"  By  the  mark,  six!  "  roared  the  man  in  the  fore  chains, 
changing  his  sing-song  to  a  shrill,  frightened  tone. 

Such  an  abrupt  shoaling  meant  nothing  less  than  im- 
mediate danger.  The  maps  had  shown  safe  water,  but 
there  was  no  gainsaying  the  testimony  of  the  lead. 

"Port  your  helm! "roared  Bainbridge,  twirling,  and  let- 
ting go  the  words  at  the  quartermaster  as  if  he  was  firing 
off  a  pistol. 

The  yards  were  braced  about  sharply  as  the  vessel  an- 
swered to  her  helm,  but  the  Philadelphia  had  been  run- 
ning at  the  rate  of  five  or  six  knots.  It  was  hard  to  stop 
such  headway,  and  it  seemed  hardly  a  breathing  space 
between  the  time  of  the  first  order  and  the  moment  that 
a  sudden  shock  was  felt,  followed  by  an  upward  lifting 
motion  as  the  bow  raised  itself,  and  then  by  a  grinding, 
crunching  sound  that  showed  the  timbers  below  were 
undergoing  some  frightful  strain.  Bainbridge  uttered 
no  exclamation.  He  exchanged  a  glance  with  Porter  that 
meant  much,  however — a  combined  look  of  astonishment 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  101 


and  distress.  But  no  fear  showed  in  the  face  of  either, 
although  it  was  a  moment  to  frighten  the  stoutest  hearts. 

Where  had  the  reef  come  from?  It  was  as  if  some 
enemy  of  the  deep  had  suddenly  raised  up  to  crush  the 
vessel  in  its  spiteful  jaws. 

The  watch  below  had  come  pouring  up  on  deck;  but 
seeing  their  commander  calmly  giving  orders  from  the 
quarter-deck,  and  their  companions  scrambling  aloft  to  lay 
the  sails  aback  in  obedience  to  his  commands,  without  the 
least  confusion  they  followed  suit,  going  to  their  stations 
as  quietly  as  if  it  were  fire  drill  instead  of  a  sudden  danger 
they  had  to  face. 

Lieutenant  Jones,  who  had  gone  forward  to  the  fore- 
castle, sent  Midshipman  Biddle  hurrying  aft. 

"  There's  not  fourteen  feet  below  us  at  the  fore  chan- 
nels, sir!  "  he  said  breathlessly,  saluting  Bainbridge,  who 
saw  to  his  dismay  that  the  sails  were  not  working  the 
vessel  off  in  the  slightest. 

The  next  order  was  to  run  aft  all  the  guns  of  the  for- 
ward division  in  the  hope  of  raising  the  bow  until  she 
should  be  clear  of  the  rocks.  The  trunnions  roared  and 
grumbled  as  the  sailors  bustled  the  heavy,  clumsy  guns 
down  the  sloping  deck  until  they  were  all  huddled  well 
abaft  the  mainmast. 

"  Has  she  lifted,  sir?  "  asked  Bainbridge  of  Lieutenant 
Jones. 

"  Not  an  inch,  sir,"  was  the  answer. 

Matters  indeed  looked  bad. 

"  Cut  away  both  those  anchors,  Mr.  Biddle,"  Bain- 
bridge thundered. 

A  few  blows  with  an  axe  and  the  four  tons  of  iron 
plashed  from  either  side  of  the  bows.  Still  she  did  not 
move.  The  sails  aloft  were  drawing  well.  It  was  a  re- 
markable sight.  With  a  cross-current  and  quite  a  sea 
running  outside,  the  leach  of  the  mainsail  romping  and 


IO2 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


flapping,  and  yet  the  deck  of  the  ship  as  steady  as  the  floor 
of  a  courthouse.  It  produced  an  uncanny,  frightened  feel- 
ing that  seized  upon  the  heart;  it  was  an  unnatural  thing 
to  watch — if  any  one  could  have  stopped  to  watch  it;  but 
there  was  not  time  for  that;  every  man  was  on  the  jump. 


Diagram  explaining  the  loss  of  the  Philadelphia. 
Tripoli  and  the  castle  on  the  left  ;  figures  indicating  fathoms  on  the  right. 

"  Where's  the  carpenter?  Send  the  carpenter  aft  to 
me,"  said  Bainbridge  quietly  to  Midshipman  Robert 
Gamble. 

The  middy  ran  below.  "  Godley,  you're  wanted  on  the 
quarter-deck,"  he  cried  to  a  tall  seaman  into  whose  arms 
he  almost  fell.  "  Captain  wants  to  speak  to  you.  Lively 
there!  Don't  stop." 

The  carpenter  went  up  the  ladder  in  three  jumps;  in 
two  more  he  was  at  the  break  of  the  poop. 

"Get  ten  men  and  stave  in  those  forward  water  casks — 
every  one  of  them." 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


Off  went  the  carpenter,  plunging  down  the  com- 
panion way. 

"  Bo'sun,"  roared  Bainbridge,  catching  sight  of 
Boatswain  George  Hadger  hurrying  across  the  deck, 
"  is  there  any  water  in  the  well?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  the  old  seaman  cried,  saluting;  ''  and  it's 
just  been  sounded.  She's  tight  and  dry,  sir." 

"  Rig  the  pumps,  then,  and  get  this  fresh  water  over- 
board." 

In  three  minutes  the  steady  "  slish,  slosh,  click,  clack  " 
of  the  big  pumps  sounded  throughout  the  ship,  and  the 
water  from  the  springs  of  Pennsylvania  poured  out  into 
the  scuppers.  Below,  the  carpenter  and  his  crew  could  be 
heard  assailing  the  stout  ribs  of  the  water  casks. 

But  the  old  frigate  did  not  lift  her  nose  a  single  inch, 
and  now  a  new  danger  appeared.  Bainbridge,  following 
the  pointing  arm  of  a  man  on  the  forecastle,  turned 
around,  but  it  was  only  for  an  instant.  He  had  seen 
enough,  however.  Out  from  the  mouth  of  the  harbor 
was  pouring  the  Tripolitan  fleet;  their  pointed,  white 
sails  —  scores  of  them  —  gleamed  in  the  sunlight.  If  the 
Philadelphia  could  not  be  wore  off  before  they  arrived 
within  gunshot  her  chances  were  slim  indeed. 

The  majority  of  the  crew  on  deck,  hidden  by  the  bul- 
warks, were  ignorant  of  the  new  terror. 

"  Ask  Mr.  Porter  to  step  here  quickly,"  said  Bain- 
bridge to  one  of  the  midshipmen;  and  at  the  same  time 
he  gave  an  order  that  to  an  inexperienced  ear  might  have 
seemed  a  strange  one  under  the  circumstances.  It  was 
a  desperate  resort  —  nothing  less  than  to  cast  overboard 
all  the  guns  that  could  be  loosened;  and  soon  almost  the 
entire  starboard  battery  had  been  put  over  the  side. 

The  forward  division  on  the  port  hand  followed  suit. 

"  Look  there,  Mr.  Porter,"  said  Bainbridge,  nodding 
his  head  backward  at  the  approaching  fleet.  "  Cast  loose 


104  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

and  provide  the  stern  chasers  here,  and  run  two  of  those 
heavy  guns  into  my  cabin.  Break  out  the  stern  gallery. 
There's  where  they  will  take  position.  Has  she  moved?  " 

"  Not  an  inch,  sir,"  replied  Porter  firmly.  "  We'll 
have  to  fight  for  it." 

Suddenly  the  boom  of  a  gun  sounded — the  leading 
Tripolitan  had  commenced  firing!  Before  five  minutes 
had  passed  four  large  gunboats  had  taken  their  station 
under  the  larboard  quarter.  Splinters  now  began  to  fly, 
and  the  ripping  and  tearing  aloft  showed  that  the  enemy's 
shot  were  crippling  the  yards  and  spars.  Already  three 
or  four  men,  red  and  gory,  had  been  carried  below.  The 
quarter-deck,  on  which  Bainbridge  was  standing,  was 
quivering  from  the  discharge  of  the  carronades  that  had 
been  trundled  into  the  cabin.  Sulphur  smoke  was  in  the 
air,  but  the  men  were  not  cheering.  They  were  fighting 
with  a  sullen  determination. 

A  big  boatswain's  mate,  serving  one  of  the  after  guns, 
was  standing  upright,  motioning  the  men  with  the  hand- 
spikes how  to  slue  the  piece.  With  the  one  hand  he 
was  trying  to  stop  the  flow  of  blood  from  a  great  splinter 
wound  in  his  breast.  But  before  the  piece  could  be  fired 
the  frigate  gave  a  lurch,  her  bow  rose  a  few  feet  higher 
on  the  sunken  reef,  and  the  brave  sailor  pitched  head- 
long to  the  deck. 

"Help  me  to  my  pins!  "  he  cried  weakly,  making  frantic 
efforts  to  rise;  but  it  was  useless.  Another  pitch  and  the 
deck  was  at  such  an  angle  that  even  the  able-bodied  could 
scarcely  keep  their  feet.  But  three  guns  now  could  be 
brought  to  bear,  and  the  crushing  sound  of  the  Tripolitan 
broadsides  became  an  uninterrupted  roar.  The  balls  were 
entering  the  hull  from  all  directions.  One  came  in  the 
stern  port,  and,  being  deflected,  crossed  to  the  other 
side  and  back  again,  as  a  billiard  ball  would  bound  from 
the  angles  of  a  table.  But  the  deadly  splinters  scattered 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  105 

in  its  wake.  Not  a  sign  of  fear,  however,  was  to  be  ob- 
served among  the  crew,  although  three  fourths  of  them 
could  do  nothing  but  stand  idly  by. 

"Cut  away  the  foremast!"  cried  Bainbridge,  making 
a  trumpet  of  his  hands. 

With  a  crash  the  great  pine  timbers  yielded  to  the 
strokes  of  the  axes,  and  down  came  the  towering  sails, 
hampering  the  forward  deck  and  covering  the  forecastle 
in  a  mass  of  billowing,  fluttering  canvas. 

The  hull  was  almost  on  her  broadside  now,  and  the 
main-topgallant  mast  was  cut  away,  but  no  relief  was 
afforded.  The  fine  vessel  was  a  wreck,  and,  almost  safe 
from  her  few  guns,  the  enemy  were  pouring  in  their  un- 
ceasing fire. 

Yet  for  an  hour  longer  the  frigate  replied  bravely. 

"  No  white  feathers  here,"  said  Midshipman  Biddle 
to  his  friend  Gamble.  And  it  was  a  fact.  Not  a  single 
skulker  was  there  in  the  Philadelphia's  crew. 

"  Word's  been  passed  for  the  officers,"  said  Gamble, 
pointing. 

There,  under  the  shelter  of  the  poop,  for  the  quarter- 
deck was  now  swept  by  a  murderous  fire,  Bainbridge, 
with  his  three  lieutenants,  and  William  Knight,  the  mas- 
ter, were  in  consultation. 

"  I  can  not  sacrifice  the  lives  of  my  brave  men  longer," 
the  captain  said.  "  Gentlemen,  I've  done  my  best;  for  the 
cause  of  humanity  we  will  have  to  strike." 

It  was  a  cruel  fate.  To  strike  his  country's  flag  to  a 
civilized  foe  after  a  hard-fought  battle  would  have  been 
gall  and  vinegar  to  the  commander's  high-strung  nature; 
but  to  yield  to  this  uncivilized  and  barbarous  enemy  was 
humiliating. 

"  Sir,"  said  Porter,  extending  his  hand,  "  we've  all 
done  our  best,  and  we  appreciate  your  feelings;  but  there 
is  nothing  for  it." 

8 


io6  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

The  silence  of  the  other  officers  made  known  their 
acquiescence. 

"  Tell  the  carpenter  to  scuttle  the  ship,"  Bainbridge 
said  calmly.  "  Overboard  with  the  small  arms,  Mr.  Por- 
ter. See  that  the  magazine  is  flooded — Mr.  Jones,  I  am 
sorry,  sir;  haul  down  the  flag!  " 

The  proud  emblem  came  slowly  to  the  deck,  the  car- 
ronades  ceased  their  useless  replying  to  the  enemy's  well- 
directed  fire.  An  unearthly,  discordant  yell  broke  from 
the  line  of  the  barbarians.  A  few  of  the  smaller  craft,  that 
had  just  sailed  into  range,  discharged  their  guns  with 
screams  of  triumph,  much  as  cowardly  savages  would 
fling  their  darts  into  the  helpless  body  of  some  great 
beast  that  the  real  hunters  had  dispatched  at  their  peril. 

The  men  had  been  ordered  to  collect  their  dunnage 
and  belongings;  and  to  prevent  a  massacre, there  was  noth- 
ing to  be  done  but  to  trust  to  the  good  temper  of  the  vic- 
tors. The  officers  searched  everywhere  for  small  arms, 
heaving  them  out  of  ports  and  over  the  bulwarks;  this 
last  operation  was  hardly  completed  before  the  first  boat 
of  the  Tripolitan  fleet  gained  the  side.  With  shrill  cries 
the  dusky,  turbaned  Moslems  swarmed  aboard  through 
the  ports,  and  in  an  instant  the  ship  was  surrounded  by 
the  clamoring,  screaming  horde. 

The  scene  that  followed  almost  passes  description. 
The  sailors  had  retreated  to  the  forecastle,  where  they 
were  gathered  in  a  compact  body,  held  only  in  check  by 
the  calm  words  of  the  officers  scattered  among  them. 

"  Steady,  now,  men,"  said  Midshipman  Biddle  in  an 
undertone;  "  make  no  resistance  if  you  wish  to  save  our 
lives." 

As  he  spoke  the  midshipman  gazed  with  calm  eyes 
into  the  face  of  a  bearded,  swarthy  pirate,  who  flourished 
a  sharp  scimiter  within  an  inch  of  his  throat.  The  men 
in  the  front  rank,  following  their  officer's  example,  folded 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  107 

their  arms  and  stood  erect.  Not  a  sound  broke  from 
them,  except  a  few  curses  as  they  perceived  that  the  Tri- 
politans  were  not  going  to  respect  the  laws  of  private 
property.  Ditty-boxes  and  bags  were  broken  into,  and 
their  contents  scattered  about  and  scrambled  for  on  deck. 

Suddenly  the  frigate  settled  a  little  at  the  stern,  and  it 
was  remembered  that  the  carpenter  had  been  ordered 
to  let  the  water  into  her.  Obeying  the  commands  of  one 
or  two  who  seemed  to  be  in  authority,  and  kept  in  order 
by  their  own  officers,  the  men  clambered  over  the  side 
on  to  the  deck  of  one  of  the  large  gunboats  that  lay  grind- 
ing against  the  rail.  It  was  a  good  thing  that  they  had 
left  just  at  this  moment,  for  had  they  stayed  they  would 
never  have  been  able  to  stand  calmly  by  and  watch  what 
happened  on  the  quarter-deck. 

Bainbridge  had  been  addressing  in  French  and  Italian 
the  wild  crowd  that  were  looting  the  vessel,  asking  re- 
peatedly for  their  leader — for  some  one  to  whom  he  could 
surrender  his  sword  and  from  whom  he  could  claim  pro- 
tection. But  no  one  paid  attention  to  him  so  intent  were 
the  fiends  upon  bringing  everything  of  value  up  from 
below,  for  they  feared  that  the  ship  might  sink  at  any 
moment.  The  setting  sun  threw  a  red  light  across  the 
scene.  To  leeward  hung  the  white  cloud  of  battle  smoke, 
almost  a  mile  distant  by  this  time,  and  in  the  sharply  de- 
fining rays  the  varied  colors  worn  by  the  Tripblitans, 
shuffling  and  scampering  on  the  main  deck,  stood  out 
brightly,  like  the  shifting  tones  of  a  kaleidoscope. 

All  at  once  the  hubbub  ceased  for  an  instant  as  if  they 
had  just  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  tall,  broad-shouldered 
figure  looking  down  upon  them  from  the  quarter-deck. 
His  three  lieutenants  stood  but  a  few  paces  behind  him, 
with  set  faces  and  firmly  compressed  lips.  A  great,  heavily 
turbaned  pirate  shouted  something,  and  climbed  up  the 
steps  of  the  quarter-deck  followed  by  a  half-score  of  others, 


io8  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

bearing  their  plunder  underneath  their  arms,  as  if  fearful 
of  dropping  it.  Bainbridge  advanced  to  meet  the  leader, 
extending  the  hilt  of  his  sword  as  he  did  so.  The  cut- 
throat took  it. 

"  Dog  of  a  Christian!  "  he  cried,  making  a  vicious 
thrust  at  the  middle  of  the  captain's  body.  The  point 
struck  the  heavy  belt  plate  and  glanced  harmlessly,  and 
the  man  drew  back.  Bainbridge  was  standing  there  with 
his  arms  folded  and  a  smile  upon  his  lips.  The  corsair 
lowered  his  arm;  then  he  pointed  with  his  finger  at  the 
heavy  pistol  in  the  American's  belt.  It  was  handed  over, 
and  Bainbridge,  a  moment  later,  gazed  unflinchingly  into 
it  as  the  scoundrel  pointed  it  directly  at  his  head.  The 
pistol  was  lowered. 

Porter,  who  was  standing  but  a  few  feet  away,  was 
about  to  spring,  but  his  commander  caught  the  movement. 

"Steady,  gentlemen!"  he  said;  "your  lives  depend 
upon  it.  We  must  submit." 

Insolently  the  Tripolitan  leader  stretched  forth  his 
hand  and  lifted  one  of  the  heavy  gold  epaulets  from  the 
captain's  shoulder.  Then  he  took  the  other,  and  picked 
the  jeweled  pin  from  his  neckcloth.  The  crowd  gathered 
in  the  waist  had  become  silent  spectators  of  these  goings 
on,  and  following  the  example  of  the  swarthy  villain, 
some  of  his  crew  were  despoiling  the  lieutenants  in  the 
same  way.  Calmly  they  submitted  to  the  removal  of  their 
coats  and  waistcoats,  and,  without  a  tremor,  allowed 
themselves  to  be  robbed  of  their  heavy  fobs  and  watches. 
Bainbridge's  eyes  were  following  every  movement  of  the 
man  who  was  submitting  him  to  this  indignity.  His  flash- 
ing eyes  contradicted  the  calm,  contemptuous  sneer  upon 
his  lips.  One  thought  had  entered  his  mind — a  thought 
that  brought  a  sickening  fear  in  its  wake.  Lying  upon  his 
breast,  suspended  by  a  thin  gold  chain  around  his  neck, 
was  a  miniature  of  Susan,  his  wife.  Would  he  be  able  to 


The  miniature  of  Mrs.  Bainbridge. 
From  the  original,  now  in  possession  of  the  family. 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  109 


stand  calmly  and  watch  it  torn  from  him  by  those  dirty, 
blood-stained  hands?  All  at  once  the  gleam  of  the  gold 
chain  caught  the  eye  of  the  robber.  With  a  swift  motion 
he  tore  the  soft  linen  shirt  open  at  the  throat.  There 
lay  the  miniature,  the  calmly  smiling  face  of  a  woman, 
in  a  white,  high-waisted  gown.  With  a  greedy  cry  he 
reached  for  it,  but  his  eager  fingers  never  touched  the 
shining  gold.  With  a  roar  like  a  cornered  beast  that 
counts  no  odds,  Bainbridge  seized  him  by  the  throat.  As 
he  stood  there  no  one  could  have  failed  to  notice  the 
tremendous  muscles  plain  to  view,  but  no  one  would  have 
supposed  that  human  arms  possessed  such  strength.  As 
one  might  beat  a  garment  against  a  post  to  relieve  it  of 
clinging  dust — yes,  like  a  bundle  of  rags — he  picked  up 
that  swarthy  infidel  and  dashed  him  down  against  the 
rail.  The  man's  skull  cracked  like  an  egg,  and  he  fell 
limply  down  upon  the  heads  of  the  crowd  below. 

Porter  and  Jones  and  Lieutenant  Hunt  sprang  for- 
ward, but  before  they  could  gain  their  captain's  side  they 
were  pinioned  hard  and  fast.  Bainbridge  stood  there  pant- 
ing. Some  one  fired  a  pistol  at  him  at  point-blank  range, 
but,  owing  probably  to  the  jostling  of  the  crowd,  the  ball 
missed  its  mark.  With  a  cry  of  rage  five  or  six  of  the  cor- 
sairs made  at  him.  He  felled  the  first  one  with  a  blow  from 
his  great  fist,  but  they  swarmed  upon  him  almost  too 
closely  intertwined  to  draw  their  daggers.  Again  he  strug- 
gled to  his  feet.  With  a  mighty  effort  he  grasped  one  of  his 
assailants  by  his  heavy  cloth  belt  and  whirled  him  over- 
board into  the  sea.  Again  they  closed  upon  him.  Their 
object  now  was  to  gain  possession  of  the  gleaming 
miniature.  They  had  him  down  more  than  once,  but 
could  not  force  it  from  his  grasp,  although  his  fingers 
were  torn  and  cut.  It  seemed  to  be  ages  that  he  strug- 
gled as  if  gifted  with  the  strength  of  more  than  a  dozen 
men.  Time  and  again  he  rose  to  his  knees  only  to  be 


no  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

hauled  down,  like  a  fighting  bull,  by  a  pack  of  hungry 
wolves.  For  the  fourth  time  he  managed  to  stand  erect 
and  get  his  back  against  the  rail.  Unarmed,  except  in  his 
magnificent  strength,  he  stood  there  like  a  warrior  of  the 
stone  age.  The  corsairs  were  almost  awed  at  the  sight 
of  this  man  and  the  fight  they  had  witnessed. 

But  a  commotion  suddenly  began  among  those  who 
had  stood  aloof  as  if  waiting  to  see  what  the  result  would 
be.  A  handsomely  dressed  figure,  in  a  briliant  red  tunic 
and  silk  scarf,  was  calling  out  to  the  others  to  make  way 
for  him.  He  gained  the  deck,  and  thrusting  back  the 
discomfited  villains,  he  approached  Bainbridge.  The  lat- 
ter gathered  himself  as  if  for  an  onslaught,  but  the  Moor 
bowed  low  before  him,  and  turning  so  as  to  confront  the 
others,  he  drew  a  long  jewel-hilted  pistol.  No  remon- 
strance was  made  to  this  action,  and  with  great  relief 
the  officers,  who  had  been  almost  weeping  at  their  in- 
ability to  help  their  leader,  saw  that  here  was  one  who 
held  authority. 

Calling  again  for  a  passageway  to  be  cleared,  he  beck- 
oned for  the  prisoners  to  follow  him.  Bainbridge,  with 
the  miniature  still  tightly  grasped  in  his  hand,  almost 
breathless  from  the  fearful  struggle,  motioned  the  other 
officers  to  precede  him.  Shorn  of  everything  but  his 
glory,  he  was  the  last  to  leave  his  ship. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

IT  was  ten  o'clock  at  night,  some  six  hours  after  the 
surrender  of  the  Philadelphia,  that  the  prisoners  were 
landed  near  the  Bashaw's  castle  just  as  they  were,  ex- 
cept that  the  Tripolitan  officer,  who  had  saved  Bain- 
bridge,  secured  for  him  a  makeshift  suit  of  clothes.  They 
were  taken  into  the  Bashaw's  presence,  where  he  sat  in 
his  audience  hall  on  his  divan,  surrounded  by  his  richly 
uniformed  guards. 

After  having  been  subjected  to  a  rigid  cross-examina- 
tion, and  having  replied  to  numerous  questions,  the  party 
of  officers  were  conducted  to  another  apartment  where 
a  supper  was  served  to  them.  At  midnight  they  were 
taken  back  to  the  hall  again  and  found  that  they  had  been 
placed  in  charge  of  the  Minister  of  State,  Sidi  Mohammed 
Dgheis.  This  official  proved  to  be  a  fine,  dignified  man 
of  commanding  presence,  who  was  well  acquainted  with 
European  manners  and  customs,  and  from  the  outset  he 
not  only  enlisted  the  respect  of  his  prisoners,  but  ap- 
peared anxious  to  do  anything  he  could  to  serve  them. 
He  spoke  excellent  French,  and  informed  them  in  the 
first  words  he  spoke  that  he  hoped  to  make  their  stay 
as  little  of  a  hardship  as  possible,  and  trusted  on  their 
word,  if  they  would  give  it  him,  not  to  escape  while  under 
his  immediate  charge.  Scarcely  waiting  for  an  answer, 
he  dismissed  the  guard  and  bade  them  follow  him.  As  he 
conducted  them  through  the  town,  he  told  them  that  they 
were  bound  for  the  late  American  consul's  house,  which 


ii2  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

had  been  assigned  to  them  as  a  temporary  prison.  Upon 
their  arrival  they  found  that  the  kind  Tripolitan  had 
also  secured  for  them  the  clothing  of  which  they  had 
been  despoiled — all  but  the  epaulets  and  some  of  the  orna- 
mentation. He  bade'  them  good  night  after  doing  all  he 
could  for  their  comfort. 

Poor  Bainbridge  was  much  depressed  in  spirit.  He 
grieved  at  the  loss  of  the  new  and  beautiful  frigate,  and 
was  apprehensive  that  his  countrymen  might  censure  him 
before  the  true  cause  of  the  disaster  could  be  explained. 
There  was  one  thing,  however,  that  gave  him  comfort — 
it  was  the  locket  which  he  still  wore  upon  his  breast,  and 
for  which  he  would  have  laid  down  his  life. 

The  next  morning,  not  long  after  breakfast,  Lieu- 
tenant Porter  appeared  at  the  captain's  door. 

"  The  compliments  of  the  Philadelphia's  officers  to 
Captain  Bainbridge,"  he  said.  "  They  beg  that  he  will 
accept  this  paper  which  was  prepared  for  his  perusal." 

Bainbridge  opened  it  and  read  as  follows: 

TRIPOLI,  November  i,  1803. 

"  SIR:  We,  late  officers  of  the  United  States  frigate 
Philadelphia,  under  your  command,  wish  to  express  our 
full  approbation  of  your  conduct  concerning  the  unfor- 
tunate event  of  yesterday,  and  do  conceive  that  the 
charts  and  soundings  justified  as  near  an  approach  to  the 
shore  as  we  made;  and  that,  after  she  struck,  every  ex- 
pedient was  tried  to  get  her  off  and  to  defend  her  which 
either  courage  or  abilities  could  have  dictated. 

"  We  wish  to  add  that  in  this  instance,  as  well  as  in 
every  other,  since  we  have  had  the  honor  of  being  under 
your  command,  the  officers  and  seamen  have  always  ap- 
preciated your  distinguished  conduct.  Believe  us,  sir,  that 
our  misfortunes  and  sorrows  are  entirely  absorbed  in  our 
sympathies  for  you.  We  are,  sir,  with  sentiments  of  the 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  113 

highest  and  most  sincere  respect,  your  friends  and  fellow 
sufferers." 

This  paper  was  signed  by  all  the  lieutenants,  midship- 
men, officers,  and  petty  officers  from  William  Godley, 
the  carpenter,  to  William  Adams,  the  captain's  clerk — 
twenty-seven  signatures  being  appended. 

But  shortly  after  Bainbridge  had  received  this  letter, 
which  caused  him  almost  to  break  down,  because  of  its 
kindness  and  honest  feeling,  the  Minister  of  State  was  an- 
nounced. With  him  was  Mr.  N.  C.  Nissen,  whom  he  in- 
troduced to  Bainbridge  as  his  particular  friend.  Mr. 
Nissen  was  the  Danish  consul,  and  Sidi  Mohammed  took 
the  opportunity  to  say  he  was  the  only  consul  in  Tripoli 
for  whom  he  had  the  least  respect. 

The  Dane  expressed  great  sympathy  for  Bainbridge 
in  his  misfortunes,  and  the  American  captain  saw  at  a 
glance  that  he  was  a  friend  worth  keeping.  Mr.  Nissen's 
manner  satisfied  all  of  the  American  officers  that  he  was 
well  entitled  to  the  esteem  that  had  been  expressed  for 
him  by  the  Tripolitan  minister.  As  soon  as  he  had  de- 
parted, Bainbridge  asked  for  pen,  ink,  and  paper,  and, 
sitting  down  at  the  little  table,  the  only  bit  of  furniture 
the  room  possessed,  he  wrote  the  following  letter  to  his 
wife,  even  before  he  indited  the  official  notice  he  intended 
sending  to  Commodore  Preble  and  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy.  Although  the  epistle  is  entirely  personal  in  its 
character,  it  is  well  worth  while  to  give  it  place  here,  and 
thus  it  appears,  a  true  and  authentic  copy: 

TRIPOLI,  November  i,  1803. 

MY  DEAR  SUSAN :  With  feelings  of  distress  which  I  can  not  describe, 
I  have  to  inform  you  that  I  have  lost  the  beautiful  frig-ate  which  was 
placed  under  my  command  by  running  her  afoul  of  rocks,  a  few  miles 
to  the  east  of  this  harbor,  which  are  not  marked  on  the  charts.  After 
defending  her  as  long  as  a  ray  of  hope  remained,  I  was  obliged  to  sur- 
render, and  am  now,  with  my  officers  and  crew,  confined  in  a  prison  in 


ii4  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

this  place.  I  inclose  to  you  a  copy  of  my  official  letter  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  from  which  you  will  learn  all  the  circumstances  in  detail 
connected  with  our  capture. 

My  anxiety  and  affliction  does  not  arise  from  my  confinement  and  dep- 
rivations in  prison — these,  indeed,  I  could  bear  if  ten  times  more  severe 
— but  is  caused  by  my  absence,  which  may  be  a  protracted  one,  from  my 
dearly  beloved  Susan,  and  an  apprehension,  which  constantly  haunts  me, 
that  I  may  be  censured  by  my  countrymen.  These  impressions,  which 
are  seldom  absent  from  my  mind,  act  as  a  corroding  canker  at  my  heart. 
So  maddened  am  I  sometimes  by  the  workings  of  my  imagination  that  I 
can  not  refrain  from  exclaiming  that  it  would  have  been  a  merciful  dis- 
pensation of  Providence  if  my  head  had  been  shot  off  by  the  enemy  while 
our  vessel  lay  rolling  on  the  rocks. 

You  now  see,  my  beloved  wife,  the  cause  of  my  distress.  My  situation 
in  prison  is  entirely  supportable ;  I  have  found  here  kind  and  generous 
friends,  such  as  I  hope  the  virtuous  will  meet  in  all  situations  ;  but  if  my 
professional  character  be  blotched ;  if  an  attempt  be  made  to  taint  my 
honor ;  if  I  am  censured ;  if  it  does  not  kill  me — it  will  at  least  deprive 
me  of  the  power  of  looking  any  of  my  race  in  the  face,  always  excepting, 
however,  my  young,  kind,  and  sympathizing  wife.  If  the  world  desert 
me,  I  am  sure  to  find  a  welcome  in  her  affection — to  receive  the  support 
and  condolence  which  none  others  can  give. 

I  can  not  tell  why  I  am  so  oppressed  with  apprehension.  I  am  sure  I 
acted  according  to  my  best  judgment.  My  officers  tell  me  that  my  con- 
duct was  faultless,  that  no  one,  indeed,  could  have  done  better ;  but  this  I 
attribute  (perhaps  in  my  weakness)  to  a  generous  wish  on  their  part  to 
sustain  me  in  my  affliction. 

I  hope  soon  to  hear  that  your  health  is  good,  and  that  you,  although 
grieved  at  my  misfortune,  are  yet  surrounded  by  dear  and  condoling 
friends,  who  will  in  some  measure  assuage  your  affliction.  Perhaps,  too, 
you  will  be  able  to  tell  me  that  I  have  done  injustice  to  my  countrymen — 
that  so  far  from  censuring,  they  sympathize,  and  some  even  applaud  me. 
God  grant  that  this  may  be  the  case  —why  should  it  not  ?  The  Americans 
are  generous  as  they  are  brave.  I  must  stop,  my  dear  wife,  for  I  see  I 
am  disclosing  my  weakness  ;  these  are  the  mere  reveries  which  daily 
pass  through  my  heated  brain. 

I  beg  you  will  not  suppose  our  imprisonment  is  attended  with  suffer- 
ing ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is,  as  I  have  already  assured  you,  quite  a  sup- 
portable state.  Your  ever  faithful  and  affectionate  husband, 

WILLIAM  BAINBRIDGE. 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 


Through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Nissen,  Bainbridge  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  all  of  his  letters  on  board  an  out-bound 
vessel,  and  also  sent  a  long  communication  addressed  to 
Commodore  Preble. 

Bainbridge  had  stated  his  position  rightly  when  he 
said  that  his  stay  in  captivity  promised  not  to  be  so  much 
of  a  hardship  as  might  be  expected;  Mr.  Nissen  had 
brought  bedding,  furniture,  and  all  sorts  of  useful  house- 
hold articles  to  the  place  where  the  officers  were  confined, 
and  he  also  brought  word  that  the  crew  were  in  prison  in 
a  well-ventilated  quarter  of  the  castle.  Said  he,  in  refer- 
ring to  the  Tripolitans: 

"  Although  these  people  live  by  piracy,  and  have  little 
or  no  legitimate  trade,  those  high  in  authority  have  had 
intercourse  with  Christian  and  civilized  nations,  and  have 


Port  of  Tripoli. 

dropped  many  of  the  attributes  of  the  barbarian.  Sidi 
Mohammed  D'Ghiers  is  a  man  of  fine  character  and  ster- 
ling worth.  You  can  trust  in  him  implicitly." 

Before  a  week  had  gone  by  time  bore  most  heavily 
upon  the  hands  of  the  captured  officers;    but  one  day 


n6  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

Nissen  was  announced,  and  looking  out  past  their  garden 
entrance,  the  officers  saw  that  a  donkey,  with  two  large 
crates  strapped  on  his  back,  was  evidently  waiting  there 
to  be  unloaded.  What  was  the  delight  of  all  hands  when 
they  ascertained  that  the  load  was  nothing  less  than  all 
of  their  books  and  a  great  deal  of  personal  property  which 
the  Danish  consul  had  purchased  for  a  small  sum  at  a  sale 
of  plunder  taken  from  the  Philadelphia.  He  was  hailed 
with  cheers,  and,  although  he  at  first  demurred,  he  was 
at  once  reimbursed  for  his  expenditure. 

When  Bainbridge  and  he  found  a  chance  to  speak 
together  alone,  the  following  conversation  took  place: 

"  Of  course  it  is  to  be  expected,"  began  Mr.  Nissen, 
"  that  any  correspondence  carried  on  between  you  and 
Commodore  Preble  will  be  visaed  by  the  Tripolitan  minis- 
ter. I  remember  hearing  a  long  time  ago,  when  I  was  in 
France,  a  very  interesting  thing.  You  know  a  writing 
fluid  may  be  prepared  which  is  entirely  invisible  until  the 
paper  has  been  subjected  to  heat.  The  recipe  for  making 
this  fluid,  if  I  remember  rightly,  is  something  like  this; 
in  fact,  I  am  quite  sure  this  is  correct." 

With  that  he  detailed  a  simple  formula  which  Bain- 
bridge  copied,  and  put  it  to  good  use  afterward,  as  will 
be  proved. 

It  must  not  be  thought  that  any  degree  of  authority 
or  discipline  had  been  lost  because  of  the  fact  that  the 
life  and  routine  of  shipboard  had  been  exchanged  for  the 
monotony  of  prison  existence.  The  same  discipline  and 
respect  was  maintained,  and,  as  soon  as  the  books  had 
arrived,  the  midshipmen  resumed  their  studies  under  the 
direction  of  the  officers.  Classes  in  French  and  Spanish, 
history,  navigation,  and  mathematics  went  on  as  they 
had  on  board  ship.  It  was  rather  a  remarkable  fact  that 
the  majority  of  all  those  living  together  at  the  American 
consul's  house  were  extremely  young  men,  but  one  of  the 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  117 

officers  being  above  thirty  years  of  age.  The  midshipmen, 
with  one  or  two  exceptions,  were  hardly  more  than  boys. 
But  the  principles  of  honor  and  high  sense  of  duty  which 
they  imbibed  by  contact  with  these  young  men,  their 
leaders,  counted  for  more  than  the  habits  of  study  which 
were  rigidly  enforced. 

On  the  tenth  day,  while  Bainbridge  was  exercising 
in  the  little  courtyard  surrounded  by  the  high  white  wall, 
a  messenger  appeared  with  orders  from  the  Bashaw  for 
him  to  appear  at  once  at  the  vice-regal  palace,  in  order 
to  talk  with  the  regent  upon  a  matter  of  vital  interest. 
The  Bashaw  was  a  man  very  different  in  character  and 
personality  from  Sidi  Mohammed.  He  was  evidently 
angry  at  something,  for  he  scarcely  waited  for  Bainbridge 
to  be  seated  before  beginning  upon  the  subject. 

"  I  have  here,"  he  said,  "  letters  from  the  commander 
of  one  of  my  ships,  the  Messurre,  complaining  most  bitter- 
ly of  the  treatment  he  has  received  from  your  Captain 
Chauncey,  of  the  frigate  John  Adams.  We  have  treated 
you  kindly;  we  have  given  you  of  the  best  of  the  land,  in 
order  to  prove  that  we  are  different  from  what  we  are 
held  to  be  in  the  opinions  of  European  nations.  But  this 
can  not  be  forgotten.  Any  ill  treatment  of  my  subjects 
shall  be  retaliated  upon  the  heads  of  you  and  your  offi- 
cers." 

Bainbridge  did  not  reply,  for  he  saw  that  this  was  not 
all  of  the  interview,  and  he  knew  that  there  was  some 
reason  other  than  this  for  his  having  been  ordered  to  be 
present.  There  was  to  be  a  condition. 

"  If,"  continued  the  Bashaw,  "  you  will  write  at  once, 
before  that  shadow  yonder  has  reached  that  spot  near  my 
hand,  a  letter  to  your  Commodore  Preble,  asking  him  to 
release  the  prisoners  from  Tripoli,  I  will  allow  you  to  stay 
in  your  present  place  of  confinement.  If  you  do  not,  it 
will  go  hard  with  you.  What  have  you  to  say?  " 


n8  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

"  Only  this,"  Bainbridge  replied:  "  I  can  not  believe 
that  the  information  you  received  is  correct.  It  is  the 
practice  of  Americans  to  treat  prisoners  with  kindness 
and  magnanimity  and  never  with  cruelty.  In  regard  to 
the  subjects  of  your  Royal  Highness,  when  our  squadron 
lay  in  the  Bay  of  Gibraltar  I  saw  with  my  own  eyes  one 
of  your  captains  visiting  on  familiar  terms  the  officers  of 
the  various  ships  in  company  with  the  officers  of  the 
vessel  in  which  he  was  supposed  to  be  confined." 

"  You  will  not,  then,  write  the  letter?  "  asked  the 
Bashaw  threateningly. 

"  I  can  not  write  what  you  demand,  for  the  reason 
that  Commodore  Preble  is  my  senior,"  answered  Bain- 
bridge;  "  and  besides  this,  my  advice  is  useless,  because 
by  becoming  your  prisoner  I  have  lost  my  rank  and 
power." 

"  Have  you  any  objections  to  stating  the  substance  of 
our  conversation  in  a  report  to  the  commander  of  the 
squadron?  " 

"  None  in  the  least,"  Bainbridge  answered.  And  tak- 
ing up  pen  and  paper,  he  wrote  for  a  few  minutes  and 
read  aloud  what  he  had  written.  This  ended  the  meet- 
ing, and  under  guard  he  was  sent  back  to  join  the 
officers,  who  were  anxiously  waiting  to  hear  what  had 
resulted. 

In  regard  to  what  the  Bashaw  intended  to  do,  Bain- 
bridge could  say  nothing;  but  they  were  not  long  kept 
in  ignorance,  for  within  the  hour  a  commotion  was  heard 
in  front  of  the  little  building,  a  door  to  which  had  only 
been  guarded  by  three  armed  men,  two  on  the  doorstep 
and  one  at  the  gate  leading  into  the  courtyard;  but  now 
one  of  the  midshipmen  came  running  down  the  stairway 
and  knocked  on  the  door  of  the  room  in  which  the  officers 
were  holding  their  conference.  Porter  arose  hastily  and 
opened  it. 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  119 

"  The  courtyard  is  full  of  soldiers  heavily  armed  and 
bearing  torches,"  said  the  middy. 

"  Surely  they  can  not  intend  to  turn  us  out  at  such 
short  notice,"  grumbled  Lieutenant  Hunt. 

"  I  suspect  strongly,  gentlemen,"  put  in  Bainbridge, 
"  that  such  is  their  intention.  At  all  events,  the  Bashaw 
has  decided  that  we  have  been  altogether  too  comfort- 
able, and  now  intends  to  move  us." 

A  noise  in  the  hallway  brought  every  one  to  his  feet. 
The  heavy  door  was  unlocked,  and  a  number  of  Tripolitan 
officers  were  seen  standing  there  in  consultation.  Beyond 
them  the  startled  Americans  could  see  the  courtyard  filled 
with  the  swarthy-faced  soldiery,  and  against  the  blackness 
of  the  night  the  torches  flickered  weirdly.  Towering 
shadows  wavered  to  and  fro  on  the  walls  of  the  court- 
yard. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this? "  Bainbridge  in- 
quired. 

"  We  had  come,"  answered  the  officer,  "  to  escort  you 
and  your  companions  to  a  different  place  of  confinement; 
but  we  have  just  received  another  order  countermand- 
ing the  first,  and  stating  that  your  quarters  will  not  be 
moved  until  to-morrow  morning  at  nine  o'clock,  so  I  bid 
you  prepare  for  departure." 

Plainly  this  last  message  had  been  delivered  just  in 
time  to  prevent  the  discomfort  of  a  hasty  change  of  base. 
As  it  turned  out  afterward,  it  was  the  result  of  the  inter- 
cession of  Sidi  Mohammed  D'Ghiers,  who  objected  bravely 
to  the  Bashaw's  sudden  determination. 

By  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning  the  courtyard  was 
again  filled  with  soldiers  under  the  command  of  the  same 
officer  who  had  reported  the  night  before;  but  the  prison- 
ers were  ready,  each  with  his  belongings  done  up  in  a 
bag  or  basket,  and  it  was  with  a  great  deal  of  sorrow  that 
they  bade  farewell  to  their  comfortable  quarters  and  set 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


out  through  the  narrow,  dirty  streets,  bound  for  what  they 
knew  not. 

They  were  not  taken  on  the  mcst  direct  route,  but 
marched  and  countermarched  through  the  lower  portion 
of  the  town,  much  to  the  delight  of  the  crowds  through 
which  their  guards  had  difficulty  in  forcing  their  way.  At 
last  their  prison  dawned  in  sight — a  low  whitewashed 
building  made  of  heavy  stones  and  mortar,  a  filthy  place 
that  had  been  used  by  generations  for  smoking  hides  and 
for  confining  refractory  or  runaway  slaves. 

The  officers  were  crowded  into  three  rooms  on  the 
north  side  of  the  courtyard  that  had  small  grated  windows 
opening  on  the  well-guarded  sea  wall.  On  the  opposite 
side  of  the  open  space  were  the  large  cells  in  which  the 
crew  of  the  Philadelphia  were  imprisoned.  The  brave 
lads,  when  they  saw  that  their  officers  had  come  to  join 
them,  broke  out  into  a  cheer  as  the  party  marched  through 
the  yard. 

The  quarters  that  Bainbridge  and  the  rest  found  un- 
prepared for  them  possessed  no  accommodations  fit  to 
make  life  bearable.  The  heavy  doors  were  shut  upon 
them  and  they  sat  down  upon  the  damp  stone  floor. 
Hours  went  by.  No  one  came  to  see  them.  Not  a  drop 
of  water  nor  a  bit  of  food  had  passed  theit  lips.  About 
five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  they  managed  to  communi- 
cate their  distress  to  the  crew  confined  across  the  way, 
and  the  loyal  Jack  tars  bribed  one  of  their  own  keepers 
to  bring  over  a  portion  of  their  scant  evening  meal — black 
bread  and  water  with  a  small  cruse  of  olive  oil,  which 
was  the  food  of  the  lower  order  of  Algerine  slaves  and 
laborers. 

Before  it  was  dusk  there  came  a  clanging  at  the  door, 
bolts  from  the  outside  were  dropped,  and  a  strange-look- 
ing figure  entered.  It  was  a  man  clad  in  the  loose-flowing 
garments  of  the  Tripolitan  sailor,  with  turban  and  turned- 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  121 

up  slippers,  but  his  face  had  none  of  the  darkness  of  skin; 
it  was  red  and  mottled,  and  the  chin  was  overgrown  with 
a  thin  beard  of  wiry  red.  His  first  words  created  more 
of  a  sensation  than  did  his  remarkable  appearance. 

"  Weel,  weel,  and  here's  where  ye  are  noo!  Is  Cap- 
tain Bainbridge  here?  " 

"  I  am  Captain  Bainbridge,"  said  a  voice  from  the 
corner;  "  and  may  I  ask  whom  I  have  the  honor  of  ad- 
dressing? " 

"  Admiral  Lisle,  of  the  Tripolitan  navy,  is  my  name. 
Hoot,  mon,  but  this  is  nae  place  for  the  confinement  of 
officers  and  gentlemen!  " 

"  We  are  not  here  by  our  own  choice,"  answered  Bain- 
bridge, "  and  we  are  very  willing  to  exchange  it  for  any- 
thing better,  for  in  fact  we  could  not  be  treated  to  a 
worse  fate  than  be  left  here  where  we  are." 

"  It  may  be  summat  of  your  ain  fault,"  the  odd-look- 
ing admiral  replied,  winking  his  little  Scotch  eyes  know- 
ingly. 

"  May  I  ask  you  to  explain  yourself,  sir?  " 

"  Wha  don't  you  accede  to  the  wishes  of  the  Bashaw? 
'Tis  naught  he  demands  but  a  little  scribbling  on  a  bit  of 
paper  that  will  do  ye  no  harm  to  write  for  him.  You're 
daft,  mon,  not  to  do  it." 

"  You'll  pardon  me,"  interposed  Bainbridge.  "  I  have 
not  the  least  idea  how  great  is  your  knowledge  upon  the 
subject  of  which  you  speak;  but  mark  you  this:  the 
Bashaw  can  torture  me;  he  can  lop  off  my  head;  but 
there  is  one  thing  that  he  can  not  do:  he  can  not  force 
me  to  commit  an  act  that  is  incompatible  with  the  honor 
of  an  American  officer.  If  this  is  the  object  of  your  visit 
to  us,  I  can  only  say  that  you  will  obtain  neither  satisfac- 
tion nor  promises.  If  it  is  an  answer  you  demand,  you 
have  it." 

The  "  admiral  "  appeared  to  be  somewhat  confused  at 
9 


122  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

the  force  with  which  Bainbridge  had  uttered  the  last 
words,  and  he  mumbled  something  inarticulate  as  he 
backed  out  of  the  doorway.  No  sooner  had  he  disap- 
peared than  Porter,  Jones,  and  Hunt  grasped  Bainbridge's 
hand  in  turn.  Without  a  word  he  understood  that  these 
men  felt  as  he  did;  no  explanation  was  necessary  and 
none  was  offered. 

Darkness  came  on.  Just  before  midnight  the  door  to 
their  prison  was  again  opened,  and  there  stood  the  same 
guard  that  had  escorted  them  thither  in  the  morning. 

"  Follow  us,"  said  one  of  the  officers.  And  forming  a 
column  of  twos,  the  prisoners  marched  out  into  the  night, 
taking  their  dunnage  with  them. 

This  time  they  were  not  marched  through  the  by- 
streets, and  in  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  found 
themselves  back  once  more  at  the  house  that  had  be- 
longed to  the  American  consul  before  the  outbreak  of 
hostilities.  Now  Bainbridge,  to  his  delight,  found  that 
his  first  missive  had  reached  Commodore  Preble,  for  in 
charge  of  Mr.  Nissen  an  answer  was  received,  and,  by 
means  of  the  sympathetic  ink,  communication  was  estab- 
lished, the  Danish  consul  sending  the  epistle  to  his 
confrere  at  Malta,  and  by  this  latter  gentleman  they 
were  forwarded  to  the  commander  of  the  American  squad- 
ron. 

It  had  been  found  necessary  to  resort  to  this  means, 
as  the  Bashaw  subjected  all  communications  to  a  rigid 
inspection  and  kept  copies  of  all  the  correspondence. 

A  month  went  by.  School  was  resumed,  but  the  con- 
finement was  beginning  to  tell  upon  the  spirits  of  the 
officers,  although  they  were  well  fed  and  comfortably 
housed. 

With  the  crew  who  were  in  the  same  loathsome  dun- 
geon that  they  had  been  at  first  thrown  into,  affairs  were 
going  very  hard  indeed.  They  were  not  used  to  the  food, 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  123 

and  sickness  had  begun  among  them.  Bainbridge  and  his 
officers  had  not  been  permitted  to  hold  intercourse  with 
them,  and  knew  nothing  of  their  condition,  only  having 
been  informed  that  they  were  kept  employed  at  their 
trades  if  they  had  any — those  who  possessed  none  work- 
ing upon  the  fortifications. 

From  an  upper  window  of  their  house,  which  was  near 
the  water  front,  a  glimpse  of  the  harbor  could  be  obtained; 
and  occasionally  the  captain  or  one  of  his  lieutenants  had 
been  allowed  to  stroll  along  the  ramparts  in  charge  of  a 
small  guard.  Bainbridge  had  looked  many  times  with 
deep  sorrow  at  the  Philadelphia,  his  fine  old  ship,  as  she 
lay  there  well  protected  by  the  guns  of  the  castle,  her- 
self a  great  adjunct  to  the  protection  of  the  town,  for 
her  guns  had  been  fished  up  and  replaced  on  her  decks. 
He  regretted  more  than  once  that  he  had  not  pro- 
ceeded to  extreme  measures  and,  instead  of  scuttling 
her,  set  her  on  fire  when  he  had  seen  that  her  defense  was 
useless. 

He  returned  from  one  of  these  walks  that  he  had  taken 
on  the  5th  of  December,  elated  with  an  idea  that  had 
entered  his  mind.  It  was  one  that  would  require  immedi- 
ate co-operation  of  Preble  and  the  squadron,  and  de- 
manded great  intrepidity  and  daring  for  its  successful 
accomplishment;  but  brave  and  adventurous  spirits  he 
knew  were  not  lacking.  He  could  have  called  the  names 
of  a  half  dozen  young  men  now  with  the  commodore  to 
whom  he  would  intrust  the  leadership. 

He  had  noticed  that  all  of  the  enemy's  gunboats  were 
hauled  up  on  shore,  and  that,  owing  to  the  transfer  of 
guns,  the  small  crescent-shaped  battery  was  almost  in 
a  dismantled  condition.  Dipping  his  pen  into  the  invisible 
ink,  he  wrote  the  following  letter,  sending  it  to  Preble 
through  the  usual  channels.  It  does  not  detract  from  the 
glory  of  any  one  subsequently  connected  with  the  under- 


124  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

taking  to  publish  this  epistle;  it  merely  places  the  honor 
of  originating  the  plan  where  it  assuredly  belongs.  Writes 
Bainbridge  under  date  of  the  5th: 

"  Charter  a  small  merchant  schooner,  fill  her  with  men, 
and  have  her  commanded  by  fearless  and  determined 
officers.  Let  the  vessel  enter  the  harbor  at  night,  with 
her  men  secreted  below  decks.  Steer  her  directly  on  board 
the  frigate,  and  then  the  officers  and  men  board,  sword  in 
hand,  and  there  is  not  a  doubt  of  their  success  and  with- 
out very  heavy  loss.  It  would  be  necessary  to  take  sev- 
eral good  rowboats  in  order  to  facilitate  the  retreat  after 
the  enterprise  had  been  accomplished.  The  frigate  in 
her  present  condition  is  a  powerful  auxiliary  battery  for 
the  defense  of  the  harbor.  Though  it  will  be  impossible 
to  remove  her  from  her  anchorage,  and  thus  restore  this 
beautiful  vessel  to  our  navy,  yet,  as  she  may,  and  no 
doubt  will  be  repaired,  an  important  end  will  be  gained 
by  her  destruction." 

Upon  receiving  this  communication  Commodore 
Preble  called  a  council  of  his  officers,  and  by  the  earliest 
opportunity  he  wrote  an  answer  to  Captain  Bainbridge 
informing  him  that  preparations  were  being  made  to  carry 
out  the  plans  as  he  suggested,  and  that  his  friend,  Lieu- 
tenant Stephen  Decatur,  had  volunteered  to  command 
the  expedition. 

Time  went  on  and  yet  nothing  was  done.  The  winter 
passed  and  a  new  year  began.  Various  schemes  were 
proposed  for  the  destruction  of  Tripoli,  Bainbridge  stating 
in  a  letter  to  Preble  that  he  thought  the  landing  of  four 
or  five  thousand  troops  would  result  in  the  taking  of  the 
town.  But  affairs  looked  very  dark.  Hearing  of  the 
condition  of  the  crew,  Bainbridge  petitioned  the  Bashaw 
to  allow  him  to  do  something  to  help  to  make  their  life 
more  bearable,  and  again,  through  the  kind  offices  of  Sidi 
Mohammed  Dgheis,  clothing  and  more  sustaining  food 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  125 

were  allowed  to  be  sent  in  to  them  from  the  American 
squadron. 

Mr.  Nissen  continued  to  lend  his  assistance,  and  thus 
cemented  the  friendship  that  had  begun  during  the  early 
days  of  captivity. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  Mohammedans  are  a  peculiarly  religious  people. 
They  observe  the  festivals  of  their  sect  with  the  greatest 
care  and  faithfulness,  and  it  happens  that  once  a  year 
there  comes  a  period  of  thirty  days  which  is  known  as 
the  feast  of  Ramadan.  It  is  a  period  of  religious  ab- 
stinence, during  which  the  good  Mohammedan  imposes 
upon  himself  moral  and  physical  restraint  to  an  extreme 
degree.  He  is  compelled  by  his  creed  to  kindly  thoughts 
and  deeds,  such  as  hospitality  to  strangers  and  charity  to 
bitterest  enemies. 

During  the  day  little  or  no  food  is  partaken  of  between 
sunrise  and  sunset;  but  m  the  night  season,  it  may  be 
remarked,  they  make  up  for  a  great  deal  of  lost  time.  At 
the  end  of  this  month  of  daily  fasting  and  nightly  feast- 
ing there  comes  the  Biarian  festival,  which  amounts  to  a 
period  of  gorging  and  rejoicing  covering  from  three  to 
six  days. 

From  the  lowest  household  in  its  mud-wall  hut  to  the 
Bashaw  in  his  palace  all  hands  turn  to  and  enjoy  them- 
selves. 

On  this  occasion  Bainbridge  and  Lieutenant  Porter 
were  invited  to  the  Bashaw's  residence,  where  they  were 
treated  as  guests  of  honor  and  received  with  Eastern 
civilities.  They  also  attended  a  feast  of  the  Prime  Minis- 
ter, who  was  a  Russian  by  birth,  although  he  had  lived 
for  a  long  time  in  Tripoli.  The  largest  ceremony  they 
attended,  however,  and  one  that  exceeded  in  point  of 

126 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  127 

splendor  all  the  others,  was  a  dinner,  or  better,  banquet, 
at  the  residence  of  their  good  friend  Sidi  Mohammed 
D'Ghiers,  Minister  of  State.  Through  his  intercession 
also,  permission  had  been  obtained  for  the  officers  under  a 
small  guard,  and  on  their  parole  of  honor,  to  ride  a  few 
miles  back  into  the  country.  It  was  a  great  relief  to  them 
to  secure  these  outings,  but  it  made  their  confinement 
perhaps  the  harder  to  bear.  Yet  what  they  were  then 
undergoing  was  nothing  compared  to  that  held  in  store 
for  them. 

One  day  in  the  early  part  of  the  month  Porter  and 
Lieutenant  Hunt,  astride  of  two  small  mules,  had  ridden 
out  beyond  the  walls  of  the  city.  Two  armed  janizaries 
accompanied  them,  but  kept  at  a  respectful  distance. 
It  was  a  fine  warm  morning,  and  a  breeze  that  blew  from 
the  north  rustled  the  branches  of  the  trees.  It  was  a 
beautiful  sight.  On  all  sides  were  the  barley  and  wheat 
fields,  with  their  waving  grain;  the  groves  of  dates,  of 
olive  and  of  fig  trees;  the  orchards  of  lemon,  orange, 
apricot,  and  peach;  the  well-kept  gardens  that  surrounded 
the  country  houses  of  the  wealthy.  They  could  scarcely 
imagine  themselves  prisoners,  although  they  knew  at  any 
time  they  might  exchange  all  this  for  close  confinement 
and  blank  dungeon  walls. 

All  at  once  they  turned  about  a  corner  of  a  lane,  and 
there,  at  about  a  half  mile's  distance,  they  could  see  the 
blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean.  The  officers  had  no 
idea  that  they  had  been  so  close  to  the  sea,  and  they 
halted  a  minute  to  observe  the  beautiful  effect  made  by 
this  vivid  patch  of  blue  inclosed  by  the  green  frame  of 
the  arching  trees. 

"  It  is  almost  enough  to  incline  one  to  turn  Turk  and 
settle  down  here  forever,"  said  Lieutenant  Hunt  writh 
a  sigh. 

"  Well,  it  appears  that  we  shall  most  probably  stay 


128  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

here  for  some  time  to  come,"  answered  Porter.  "  Not  a 
movement  yet  from  our  fleet,  and  Preble  is  not  a  man  to 
hesitate  or  to  put  off  action.  In  my  opinion  something 
will  be  done  soon  that  will  relieve  us  from  our  position 
of  uncertainty  at  least." 

"  Well,  I'd  like  to  know  where  he  is  and  what  he's 
doing,"  Hunt  remarked,  loosening  his  long  legs  from  the 
stirrups.  "  This  is  all  very  fine,  but  I'd  just  like  to  know. 
You  see By  jove!"  he  exclaimed,  suddenly  inter- 
rupting himself,  "  look  down  there,  man,  straight  ahead." 

Porter  followed  his  glance.  In  the  little  space  inclosed 
by  the  green  frame  was  a  fine,  large  ship,  with  all  sails 
spread,  sailing  to  the  westward.  She  was  less  than  two 
miles  from  shore. 

"  The  Constitution!  "  exclaimed  Porter.  "  I  know  her 
by  her  lofty  rig." 

"  Ay,  and  here  comes  another,"  interposed  Hunt. 
"  The  Nautilus,  I  take  it." 

Yes,  there  they  were,  three  or  four  now,  seen  all  at 
once,  and  on  they  came  until  they  had  passed  by. 

When  the  officers  arrived  that  evening  at  the  little 
house  with  the  heavily  barred  windows  they  had  a  story 
to  tell. 

Preble  was  in  the  offing!  And  the  next  day  this  was 
confirmed,  for  Nissen  called  to  see  them  and  brought  them 
word.  But  nothing  out  of  the  ordinary  occurred.  What 
was  Preble  doing? 

On  the  1 5th  of  February,  about  midnight,  Bainbridge 
awakened  with  a  start.  There  was  no  mistake,  that  was 
the  sound  of  a  heavy  cannon!  Then  another  boom,  and 
a  distant  rattle  of  musketry  and  a  roar  of  firing  arose 
from  the  direction  of  the  harbor. 

From  the  little  window  upstairs  in  the  room  where 
the  midshipmen  slept  a  glimpse  of  the  waters  inside  the 
mole  could  be  obtained,  and  it  happened  by  luck  that 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


129 


very  often  as  she  swung  at  her  anchor  the  captured 
frigate  occupied  this  very  space,  a  tantalizing  sight  to 
the  eyes  of  the  prisoners. 

Bainbridge  had  hardly  reached  the  door  when  he  heard 
a  shrill,  boyish  cheer  from  the  "  steerage,"  as  the  middys 
called  their  dormitory. 

''  The  Philadelphia  is  on  fire!  The  Philadelphia  is  on 
fire!  "  cried  young  Reefer  Biddle,  who,  in  scanty  attire,  was 
leaning  over  the  stairway. 

Way  was  made  for  the  officers  at  the  window,  and  soon 
Bainbridge  was  standing  there  observing  with  great  satis- 


The  harbor  of  Tripoli. 

B,  position  of  the  Philadelphia  ;    the  dotted  line  shows  the  course  of  the 
boarding  vessel. 

faction  the  red  glare,  growing  and  growing,  until  he  could 
make  out  the  outlines  of  his  vessel  and  see  the  flames 
pouring  from  her  ports.  She  was  swinging  at  her  cables, 
and  gradually  she  worked  around  until  the  hull  was  hidden 
by  the  neighboring  houses  and  nothing  but  the  glare 
in  the  sky  showed  that  she  was  blazing  merrily. 

Suddenly  there  came  the  roar  of  a  tremendous  ex- 


i3o  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

plosion.  Bright  flying  sparks  like  rockets  were  hurled 
into  the  air,  and  when  they  had  fallen  the  glare  had  dis- 
appeared. 

"The  end!"  said  Bainbridge  calmly,  turning  to  the 
officers.  "  Who  do  you  suppose  did  that?  " 

He  knew  himself,  of  course,  but  he  wished  to  see  what 
they  would  say. 

"  Stephen  Decatur!  "  exclaimed  a  small  midshipman 
involuntarily,  clapping  his  fist  to  his  mouth  after  he  had 
spoken,  as  a  bashful  schoolgirl  might. 

"  Perhaps  it  was  Somers,"  ventured  one  of  the  lieu- 
tenants. 

"Mr.  Gamble  was  right,"  remarked  Bainbridge;  "it 
was  Stephen  Decatur,  unless  I  am  much  mistaken,  and 
God  help  and  save  him  and  all  the  brave  men  who  as- 
sisted him." 

"  Amen!  "  said  the  rest  in  chorus. 

This  is  not  the  place  to  tell  of  this  successful  expedi- 
tion, for  it  belongs  to  another  story;  but  the  fact  remains 
that  Stephen  Decatur,  accompanied  by  Lieutenants  James 
Lawrence,  Joseph  Bainbridge,  Midshipman  Charles  Mor- 
ris, and  seventy  fine  seamen,  had  carried  out  Bainbridge's 
plan  to  the  letter.  They  had  sailed  in  in  a  large  ketch, 
and  had  warped  themselves  alongside  the  Philadelphia. 
They  boarded  her,  cutlas  in  hand,  and  set  fire  to  her, 
and  escaped  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man  and  with  but 
four  of  their  number  wounded! 

The  next  morning  Nissen  hastened  to  see  his  friends. 
Although  he  could  not  but  reflect  their  elation  that 
was  so  evident,  his  face  was  clouded  with  a  look  of 
worry. 

"  The  Bashaw's  in  a  frightful  rage,"  said  he,  "  and  will 
wreak  his  vengeance  somewhere.  I  fear  that  he  will  vent 
it  upon  you.  He  would  not  have  lost  that  ship  for  any- 
thing in  the  kingdom.  I  trust,  my  dear  friends,  that 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  131 

you  will  not  suffer.  I  am  going  to  see  Sidi  Mohammed 
to-day  and  find  out  how  affairs  now  stand." 

No  notice  was  apparently  taken  of  the  action,  how- 
ever, except  that  the  presents  of  fruit  and  fresh  eatables 
now  suddenly  ceased,  and  affairs  went  on  much  as  usual 
until  there  came  a  most  momentous  day,  the  ist  of 
March,  two  weeks  after  the  destruction  of  the  frigate. 

Then,  without  warning,  the  officers  were  informed  that 
they  were  about  to  be  moved  to  another  prison,  and  by 
twelve  o'clock  they  had  begun  the  uncomfortable  march 
through  the  crowded  streets  of  the  town.  The  Bashaw 
had  at  last  found  a  place  to  his  liking  in  which  to  incar- 
cerate them.  It  was  a  horribly  damp  and  cold  apart- 
ment, whose  only  aperture  was  a  small  window  well  above 
the  height  of  a  man's  head  and  grated  with  strong  iron 
bars.  It  was  to  be  their  home  for  fourteen  weary  months. 
They  were  even  denied  the  privilege  that  the  crew  of  the 
Philadelphia  were  given — that  of  exercise  in  the  open 
air — for  the  Bashaw  was  employing  the  prisoners  upon 
the  works  and  fortifications  that  he  was  pushing  to  a 
close. 

Of  course  plans  for  escaping  from  their  prison  were  in- 
dulged in  almost  without  end.  Nissen  succeeded,  with 
a  great  deal  of  difficulty,  in  gaining  access  to  them,  and 
smuggled  out  a  letter  destined  for  the  squadron  then  cruis- 
ing off  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  for  the  blockade  of  the 
port  was  now  rigidly  enforced. 

All  regular  communication  between  the  prisoners  and 
the  outside  world  was  interdicted  by  the  Bashaw's  orders; 
but  the  letter  to  Commodore  Preble  proposed  that  he 
should  send  into  the  harbor  on  a  certain  night  five  fast 
rowing  boats,  if  (and  it  was  a  very  big  "  if "  indeed)  the 
prisoners  should  succeed  in  digging  their  way  under  the 
castle  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  wall.  The  tunnel  was 
begun,  but  before  it  progressed  very  far  it  was  found 


132  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

that  the  entrance  of  it  would  be  beneath  the  surface  of 
the  water,  and  the  idea  had  to  be  abandoned. 

Sentinels  had  been  placed  along  the  sea  wall  and  the 
shore  for  several  miles  on  either  side  of  the  city,  and  it 
would  have  been  impossible  for  boats  to  have  rowed  into 
the  harbor  without  being  observed  and  subjected  to  a 
destructive  fire. 

One  dreary  night,  as  Bainbridge  and  Porter  and  Lieu- 
tenants Hunt  and  Smith  lay  talking  together  in  low 
whispers,  Lieutenant  Jones  crawled  over  to  them. 

"  I've  been  thinking,  gentlemen,"  he  observed,  mak- 
ing his  way  into  the  center  of  the  group,  "  that  it  might 
be  possible  to  explore  the  adjoining  apartment  here  on 
our  port  hand.  We  may  find  a  window  unbarred,  or  some 
way  by  which  we  can  reach  the  sea  wall,  and  lower  our- 
selves to  the  ramparts." 

"  It  will  do  no  harm  at  least  to  try,"  said  Bainbridge, 
knowing  that  it  would  give  employment  if  nothing  else, 
and  keep  their  minds  from  dwelling  upon  their  un- 
fortunate situation.  So  the  next  day  the  prisoners 
were  told  off  into  watches,  and  systematic  work  was 
begun. 

With  the  aid  of  some  hoop  iron  and  one  knife,  the 
mortar  was  removed  from  several  large  stones  in  the  side 
of  the  room;  but  every  day  it  had  to  be  replaced,  or  at 
least  made  to  appear  all  right  when  their  prison  was  in- 
spected. Behind  the  stones  they  found  that  the  space  had 
been  filled  in  with  earth,  loosely  mixed  with  mortar,  and 
all  this  had  to  be  removed  carefully  in  order  to  hide 
traces  of  their  work.  At  last,  however,  there  was  nothing 
to  be  done  but  thrust  out  a  few  bricks  on  the  opposite 
side  to  make  an  entrance  into  the  neighboring  apart- 
ment. By  careful  listening  they  had  determined  that  it 
was  unoccupied.  One  moonlight  night  the  stones  were 
removed,  and  by  means  of  a  few  well-directed  kicks  a 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  133 

hole  was  made  large  enough  for  a  man  to  work  his  body 
through. 

Bainbridge  and  two  of  the  lieutenants  made  the  first 
reconnoissance.  It  was  a  large  open  space  in  the  extreme 
wing  of  the  prison.  The  roof  had  partly  fallen  in,  and  way 
above  their  heads  was  a  small  window.  Standing  upon 
the  shoulders  of  Lieutenant  Porter,  Jones  managed  to 
work  his  way  up  to  it.  As  soon  as  he  reached  the  grat- 
ing he  uttered  an  exclamation  of  delight;  the  bars  were 
loose,  and  with  a  little  manipulation  he  declared  that 
they  would  fetch  away.  The  window  looked  down  upon 
the  top  of  the  rampart  at  an  angle  where  a  few  heavy 
guns  pointed  out  over  the  harbor,  but  it  was  a  drop  of 
forty  feet  to  the  water's  edge,  and  fully  fifteen  from  the 
window  to  the  ground  outside. 

As  nothing  could  be  done  that  night,  they  again  re- 
turned to  their  companions  and  blocked  up  the  pas- 
sageway. 

Now  the  following  plan  was  formed:  A  long  rope  was 
plaited  out  of  their  blankets,  and  it  was  arranged  that  the 
strongest  swimmers  should  make  their  way  into  the  next 
room,  climb  to  the  window,  descend  to  the  ramparts,  and 
lower  themselves  down  to  the  water's  edge.  Once  there, 
they  were  to  swim  off  to  a  small  boat  that  was  anchored 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  shore,  take  possession  of 
her,  and  trust  to  luck  to  escape  to  the  squadron. 

The  scheme  necessitated  leaving  some  of  their  number 
behind.  Bainbridge  was  not  a  good  swimmer,  and  al- 
though Hunt  and  Jones  promised  to  take  care  of  him  in 
the  water,  he  determined  to  remain  and  share  the  fate 
of  the  unfortunates. 

One  dark  night  silent  farewells  were  taken,  and  a 
party  of  twelve,  dressed  only  in  their  shirts  and  trousers, 
in  order  the  better  to  facilitate  their  movements,  crawled 
through  the  aperture.  In  less  than  an  hour  a  scratching 


i34  COMMODORE   BA1NBRIDGE. 

was  heard  upon  the  opposite  wall;  the  stones  were  again 
withdrawn,  and  they  filed  back  again.  They  reported 
that  everything  had  gone  well  until  the  very  last  minute, 
when,  just  as  they  were  about  making  the  line  fast  to  one 
of  the  guns  in  order  that  they  might  lower  themselves  to 
the  water,  the  relief  of  the  guard  approached  and  they  had 
to  give  up  the  plan. 

It  was  a  fortunate  thing  that  they  had  been  forced 
to  return,  as  the  vessel  to  which  they  had  intended  swim- 
ming, had  changed  her  anchorage,  and  all  might  have  been 
drowned  or  shot  by  the  sentries  if  they  had  attempted  to 
land. 

This  was  only  one  of  numerous  and  repeated  failures. 
Upon  one  occasion  they  had  undermined  the  rampart  and 
entered  a  large  vault,  but  in  doing  so  they  had  weakened 
the  supports  so  that  the  whole  affair  caved  in  beneath  the 
weight  of  a  heavy  cannon,  a  forty-two  pounder,  that  had 
been  resting  above  it.  The  prisoners  were  now  suffer- 
ing from  the  foul  and  stagnant  air,  and  were  growing 
pale  and  weak.  Many  times  had  they  begged  and  im- 
plored for  better  ventilation,  but,  receiving  no  attention, 
they  determined  boldly  to  make  it  for  themselves,  and  to 
this  end  opened  a  large  hole  plain  to  the  view,  admit- 
ting the  fresh  air  from  the  outside.  When  their  jailer,  a 
bad-tempered  black  man  of  the  desert  named  Sossey,  dis- 
covered this,  he  waxed  exceeding  angry,  and  threatened 
them  with  terrible  punishment,  asking  at  the  same  time 
who  had  "  dared  to  do  this  act." 

Porter  stepped  forward  and  informed  the  jailer  that 
he  was  the  guilty  one.  Immediately  he  was  hurried 
away  from  his  companions  and  placed  in  solitary  confine- 
ment in  a  horrible  dungeon  not  more  than  eight  feet 
square.  On  the  second  day  he  was  brought  before  Sidi 
Mohammed,  who  expressed  his  sorrow  that  he  could  do 
nothing  to  help  the  prisoners,  as  the  Bashaw  was  im- 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  135 

placable.     But,  nevertheless,  Porter  was  returned  to  his 
companions  and  Sossey  was  removed  from  his  position. 

But  the  failing  spirits  of  all  were  revived  when,  on 
the  1 2th  of  July,  almost  at  daybreak,  a  furious  cannonad- 
ing was  heard  from  the  northward  toward  the  mouth  of 
the  harbor. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

"  PREBLE  is  at  it  again.  Hurrah!  "  exclaimed  Porter 
with  a  laugh.  "  Oh,  I  wish  we  were  there  with  him!  " 

He  dashed  his  heavy  hat  angrily  down  on  the  floor  of 
the  cell. 

"  Come,  let  us  go  into  the  next  room  through  our 
passageway,"  suggested  Jones.  "  We  can  watch  what's 
going  on." 

No  sooner  had  he  spoken  than  a  heavy  explosion 
sounded  quite  near  to  them. 

"  Hurrah!  "  cried  Bainbridge.  "  Gentlemen,  that  was 
a  good  Yankee  shell." 

Another  one  burst  in  the  direction  of  the  Bashaw's 
palace. 

"  I'll  bet  their  high-cockolorum  bowed  his  old  head 
to  that,"  said  a  middy. 

By  this  time  the  stones  were  removed,  and  as  many 
as  could  crowd  through  into  the  next  room  did  so,  and 
soon  the  grated  window  and  the  aperture  was  filled  with 
excited  faces. 

"  Just  look  at  those  three  boats  bear  down  on  that 
division  of  the  enemy — nine  of  them,  by  George!  I'll 
wager  that  we'll  see  some  tall  fighting  now,"  cried  Jones. 

It  was  so  far  off  that  the  boats  looked  to  be  mere 
dots.  But  the  white  smoke  soon  blotted  out  even  the 
details,  and  the  firing  became  steady.  When  the  breeze 
had  cleared  the  air  a  little  it  was  seen  that  three  of  the 
Tripolitan  gunboats  had  been  taken  and  the  others  were 

136 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  137 

in  flight,  making  their  way  with  plashing  sweeps  up  the 
harbor.  One  of  the  big  gunboats  was  some  lengths  be- 
hind the  rest. 

''Look  there!  Look  there!"  cried  Jones,  pointing. 
"  See  that  small  boat  chasing  the  whole  lot  of  them." 

"  It's  one  of  their  own,"  suggested  Smith. 

"  You're  mistaken,  sir,"  said  Bainbridge  quietly,  for 
his  eyes  were  like  those  of  a  hawk.  "  That's  one  of  the 
ship's  cutters,  and  they're  some  of  our  lads  putting  their 
backs  into  that  steady  stroke." 

"  They're  after  that  last  galley,  then,"  roared  Porter, 
"  and  they  are  going  to  catch  her,  too!  I'll  bet  Decatur 
is  in  that  cutter!  " 

Just  as  he  spoke  the  men  at  the  oars  tossed  them  in- 
board, and  almost  to  a  man  they  leaped  for  the  side  of  the 
Tripolitan.  The  other  five  sail  continued  on  their  way 
and  did  not  stop  to  help  their  companion.  Soon  the  latter 
was  observed  to  come  about  into  the  wind  and,  with  the 
cutter  in  tow,  make  for  the  American  line.  She  had  been 
taken  in  five  minutes! 

One  of  the  Yankee  gunboats  had  grounded  near  the 
crescent-shaped  battery,  where  she  was  subjected  to  a  ter- 
rible fire;  but  she  managed  to  get  off,  replying  pluckily 
the  while  with  her  one  big  gun. 

"  Hurrah  for  the  man  who  commands  that  little  skip- 
jack! "  shouted  Lieutenant  Hunt. 

"  Cleverly  done,  indeed!  "  Bainbridge  exclaimed,  rub- 
bing his  hands  together  with  delight.  "  Did  you  mark, 
gentlemen,  how  he  crept  out  of  range  of  that  big  gun  on 
the  point  without  receiving  his  fire?  He  is  brave  and 
clever." 

The  captain  did  not  know  that  it  was  his  own  brother, 
Lieutenant  Joseph  Bainbridge,  whom  he  was  eulogizing; 
nor  did  he  know  until  a  long  time  afterward  that  the  little 
boat  that  had  captured  the  lagging  Tripolitan  was  com- 


138  COMMODORE    BA1NBRIDGE. 

manded  by  Stephen  Decatur,  and  that  it  was  to  revenge 
the  death,  or  better,  the  murder  of  his  own  brother,  by 
the  corsair  who  held  command,  that  had  tempted  him  to 
set  out  in  pursuit  to  seek  revenge,  for  the  Tripolitan 
had  surrendered  before  and  had  then  risen  like  a  dastard 
and  annihilated  the  boarding  party  led  by  James  Decatur. 
He  paid  the  penalty  a  few  minutes  later.  But  all  the 
story  of  the  heroic  deeds  of  those  of  the  fleet  has  been 
told  elsewhere.  This  is  but  a  chronicle  of  the  doings  of 
Bainbridge  and  his  fellow  prisoners.  Yet  we  must  relate 
what  they  saw  that  day. 

Off  to  one  side  a  separate  little  action  was  taking 
place.  One  American  gunboat  was  fighting  five  of  the 
enemy  at  pistol-shot  range.  This  was  the  gallant  Somers, 
the  man  who  would  never  know  defeat,  and  a  cheer  went 
up  from  the  anxious  watchers  within  the  prison  walls,  as 
they  saw  all  five  of  the  corsairs  make  haste  to  join  in  the 
retreat.  The  Yankee  boats  pursued  and  the  Tripolitans 
rallied  in  force,  and  it  appeared  that  the  few  American 
sail  were  in  great  jeopardy,  for  they  were  almost  sur- 
rounded. But  straight  into  the  mouth  of  the  harbor 
sailed  the  great  frigate  Constitution  to  the  rescue!  On 
she  came  until  well  within  the  range  of  the  guns  of  the 
battery;  then  her  broadside  spurted  flame  and  smoke,  and 
the  retreat  of  the  brave  little  American  squadron  was 
covered. 

The  Constitution  came  about  within  three  cable 
lengths  of  the  flanking  fortress,  and  as  she  pointed  her 
nose  once  more  toward  the  entrance  of  the  harbor,  she 
silenced  the  guns  with  the  discharge  of  her  port  battery, 
while  with  the  starboard  she  sent  shot  and  shell  flying 
over  the  walls  of  the  city  in  among  the  houses  and  the 
palace  gardens. 

The  Bashaw  had  promised  the  people  of  the  city  rare 
sport  if  the  American  fleet  should  ever  venture  within 


Watching  the  bombardment  from  the  Tripoli  prison  cell. 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  139 

the  harbor  mouth.  He  had  been  watching  the  action 
from  one  of  his  windows,  but  when  the  Constitution  fired 
that  last  broadside  he  fled  unceremoniously  and  hid  in 
his  bomb-proof  cellar  chamber. 

Mr.  Nissen  was  the  only  one  of  the  foreign  consuls 
who  had  stayed  in  town  after  the  beginning  of  the  bom- 
bardment, but  he  had  become  so  devoted  to  the  interests 
of  his  American  friends  that  he  remained  at  the  risk  of  his 
life  in  order  to  be  near  them  should  his  services  be  re- 
quired. Several  shells  fell  in  and  about  his  house,  but 
fortunately  none  of  them  had  exploded.  It  had  pained 
the  lookers  on,  who  hoped  that  the  attack  might  result 
in  their  release,  to  see  the  withdrawal  of  the  squadron; 
but  they  recognized  that  nothing  could  be  gained  by  ven- 
turing farther  into  the  harbor,  and  the  gallantry  of  their 
companions  put  them  all  in  good  spirits  and  gave  them 
much  to  talk  about  for  some  time  to  come. 

The  result  of  this  first  action  might  be  told  in  a  few 
words:  The  three  captured  boats  contained  one  hundred 
and  three  men,  of  whom  forty-seven  were  killed  and 
twenty-six  wounded.  Three  of  the  enemy's  vessels  were 
sunk  with  all  their  crews,  and  a  number  of  guns  in  the  bat- 
teries along  the  shore  had  been  dismounted. 

On  the  fifth  day  of  August  Mr.  Nissen  brought  the 
news  that  Preble  had  returned  all  the  wounded  Tripolitan 
prisoners,  and  Nissen  himself  had  heard  one  of  the  cap- 
tured officers  say  to  the  Prime  Minister  that  the  Ameri- 
cans in  battle  were  fiercer  than  lions,  yet  in  their  treat- 
ment of  prisoners  they  were  even  kinder  than  Mussul- 
men.  The  result  of  this  humane  treatment  on  the  part 
of  Commodore  Preble  was  that  the  Bashaw,  in  thanking 
him,  stated  that  if  any  injured  Americans  fell  into  his 
hands  he  would  treat  them  with  equal  kindness. 

Some  negotiations  in  regard  to  the  establishment  of 
peace  were  now  begun,  but  they  were  soon  discontinued 


140  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

owing  to  the  extravagant  demands  of  the  Bashaw,  who 
was  yet  very  proud  and  haughty. 

A  second  attack  upon  the  city  followed,  and  much 
injury  was  done  by  round  shot  and  shell.  Most  unfor- 
tunately, a  small  American  vessel  was  blown  up  by  a  red- 
hot  shot,  losing  ten  of  her  crew  killed  and  six  wounded. 

On  the  27th  of  August  a  third  attack  was  begun,  and 
an  incident  that  occurred  came  very  near  ending  Bain- 
bridge's  career  on  earth.  He  had  been  unwell  for  some 
two  or  three  days  and  was  lying  on  his  pallet  of  straw, 
when  the  rest  of  the  officers  hurried  to  the  points  of  van^ 
tage  to  watch  the  bombardment  that  had  just  begun.  The 
Constitution  had  opened  fire  at  long  range,  and  it  was 
by  one  of  her  shots  that  Bainbridge  nearly  lost  his  life. 
A  thirty-two  pound  cannon  ball  struck  squarely  on  the 
outside  of  the  wall,  almost  above  his  head.  The  masonry 
gave  way  under  the  impact,  and  the  captain  was  literally 
covered  with  almost  a  ton  of  stone  and  mortar.  His 
officers,  who  were  at  the  end  of  the  narrow  cell,  hastened 
to  him  and  extricated  him  at  once.  It  was  found  that  his 
ankle  had  been  badly  crushed  by  the  falling  of  a  part  of 
the  embattlement,  and  he  was  covered  with  cuts  and 
bruises. 

So  hot  had  become  the  fire  of  the  American  squadron 
that  the  Tripolitan  guards  fled  from  their  places  on  the 
terrace  ramparts  and  hid  behind  the  walls  of  the  prison. 
Their  cowardice  excited  the  merriment  of  the  Yankee 
midshipmen,  and  they  were  jeered  unmercifully.  Angry 
at  this,  the  poltroons  threw  stones  in  at  the  prisoners 
through  the  windows  that  opened  upon  the  yard.  The 
midshipmen  armed  themselves  with  bits  of  the  debris  scat- 
tered about  their  apartment  and  returned  the  fire,  a  most 
riotous  proceeding  in  the  eyes  of  the  head  jailer,  for  he 
threatened  to  shoot  down  the  offenders  if  they  did  not 
desist.  This  stopped  the  miniature  battle;  but  Bain- 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  141 

bridge  wrote  a  note  to  Sidi  Mohammed,  complaining 
that  the  guards  had  been  the  first  offenders,  and  he  had 
the  satisfaction  of  being  informed  that  the  villain  who 
began  all  the  trouble  had  been  severely  bastinadoed  and 
dismissed. 

A  few  days  later  news  was  brought  that  the  squadron 
was  again  entering  the  harbor,  and  soon  the  guns  of  the 
forts  encircling  the  shore  had  begun  to  roar  defiance. 

The  enemy's  galleys  did  not  make  much  of  a  fight 
upon  this  occasion,  and  giving  away,  the  American  squad- 
ron pursued  them  within  musket  shot  of  the  large  fort 
on  the  east,  the  Tripolitan  admiral  congregating  all  of 
his  fleet  close  under  the  walls.  The  Yankee  squadron 
separated,  and  part  of  it  sailed  boldly  in  upon  the  mass 
of  Tripolitan  shipping,  while  the  rest  bravely  engaged  the 
forts.  Two  bomb  ketches  kept  on  until  quite  close  to 
shore  and  began  throwing  shells  into  the  town  with  great 
effect.  But  from  their  exposed  position  it  was  seen  that 
they  had  no  chance  to  survive  the  furious  fire  directed 
at  them.  They  both  seemed  doomed,  when  all  at  once 
Preble,  in  the  Constitution,  came  down  as  he  had 
done  before  to  help  them  out.  So  close  was  he  to  the 
terraces  that  the  figures  of  the  men  upon  the  spar  deck 
could  be  distinguished.  Seventy  guns  were  playing  down 
upon  him,  but  so  rapidly  and  effectually  did  the  Yankees 
serve  their  broadsides  that  the  Tripolitans  slackened  their 
fire,  and  under  cover  of  the  frigate  the  bomb  ketches  re- 
treated safely. 

This  time  the  Bashaw  had  received  a  severe  fright. 
He  had  lost  two  more  of  his  fleet,  and  suffered  a  great 
deal  of  damage  by  the  shells  that  fell  in  the  heart  of  the 
city.  But,  although  the  Americans  had  been  subjected 
to  a  criss-cross  fire,  not  a  man  was  killed  in  the  whole 
affair,  and  the  damage  to  the  squadron  consisted  mainly 
of  wrecked  spars  and  injured  rigging. 


i42  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

Under  the  orders  of  the  Scotch-Turkish  admiral  it  was 
concluded  not  to  use  the  galleys  except  as  an  assistant 
force  to  the  land  batteries,  and  they  remained  moored 
stem  and  stern  in  a  compact  mass  at  the  upper  bend  of 


A  brass  cannon  captured  from  the  Tripolitans,  now  at  Annapolis. 


the  harbor.  Nothing  could  tempt  them  from  their  safe 
retreat. 

No  other  demonstration  was  made  by  the  squadron 
during  the  following  week,  and  despair  and  gloom  settled 
upon  the  little  band  confined  behind  the  gray  stone  walls, 
for  it  became  apparent  that  the  small  fleet  in  the  offing 
could  effect  little  or  nothing  against  the  powerful  bat- 
teries, although  they  might  destroy  considerable  prop- 
erty in  the  city  itself. 

A  long  period  of  captivity  stared  them  in  the  face. 
They  could  see  no  end  to  it,  and  it  was  no  easy  matter  to 
stir  up  the  courage  of  the  sick  and  despairing. 

Between  nine  and  ten  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the 
4th  of  September,  while  they  were  preparing  themselves 
to  pass  through  the  long  hot  night,  there  came  a  terrific 
explosion  that  jarred  the  air  and  sent  particles  of  plaster 
falling  in  all  directions.  A  little  midshipman,  awakened 
from  his  sleep,  cried  aloud  in  fright.  The  report  had  been 
preceded  by  a  red  flash,  as  if  a  great  thunderbolt  had 
exploded  just  outside  their  grated  window. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  that  was,"  exclaimed  Jones, 
starting  up  and  rushing  to  the  small  ventilating  window 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE  143 

that,  owing  to  the  kindness  of  their  friend  Sidi,  had  not 
been  filled  in. 

Every  one  had  crowded  about  him,  but  there  was  noth- 
ing to  be  seen  except  the  darkness  of  the  night. 

''Stop  talking!     Listen!  "  ordered  Bainbridge. 

From  the  direction  of  the  harbor  came  cries  and  dis- 
tant murmurings.  A  long  wail,  like  a  chorus  of  many 
voices,  rose  in  the  air  and  died  away;  then  all  was  silence. 

"  A  magazine  has  exploded,"  said  Porter. 

"  It  sounded  to  me,"  replied  Jones,  "  as  if  it  came  from 
out  on  the  bay." 

In  the  morning  they  all  learned  what  it  meant.  That 
explosion  sounded  the  death  knell  of  the  gallant  young 
Somers,  the  popular  and  well-beloved  young  officer  who 
was  known  to  all  of  them.  Lieutenant  Wadsworth,  Mid- 
shipman Israel,  and  ten  brave  seamen  shared  his  fate. 
And  with  them  over  two  hundred  Tripolitans  lost  their 
lives.  Every  reader  of  American  history  is  familiar  with 
the  story  of  how  Somers  sailed  in  in  the  ketch  Intrepid, 
laden  with  one  hundred  barrels  of  gunpowder,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  destroying  the  Tripolitan  vessels  huddled  within 
the  mole;  how  she  had  been  boarded  just  before  she 
reached  her  destination,  and  the  terrible  result  of  the  ex- 
plosion. In  what  manner  the  trains  of  powder  had  been 
ignited  has  never  been  found  out.  It  may  have  been  from 
accident,  or  it  may  have  been  done  in  a  moment  of  des- 
peration by  the  heroic  Somers  himself. 

Two  days  later  Bainbridge  and  his  four  lieutenants 
were  permitted  to  view  the  bodies  that  had  washed  ashore. 
So  mutilated  and  disfigured  were  they  by  the  explosion 
that  it  was  impossible  to  identify  any  of  them.  But  over 
their  graves  Bainbridge  read  a  funeral  service,  and  they 
were  placed  to  rest  with  all  the  small  honors  that  could  be 
given  them. 

All  of  these  attacks  made  the  Bashaw  more  inclined  to 


144  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

negotiation  for  peace,  but  yet  his  demands  were  considered 
exorbitant,  and  the  United  States  sent  out  a  larger  squad- 
ron, under  the  command  of  Commodore  Barren,  who 
superseded  Preble,  the  latter  returning  to  America,  leav- 
ing the  Constitution  under  the  command  of  his  young 
friend,  Stephen  Decatur.  The  new  commodore  retired 
with  his  ships  to  Syracuse,  and  began  making  plans  for 
active  operations  in  the  spring.  It  was  now  decided  to 
attempt  the  reduction  of  Tripoli  by  means  of  a  land  force, 
acting  in  conjunction  with  the  deposed  ruler  of  the  coun- 
try, for  the  Bashaw  then  upon  the  throne  had  usurped  the 
power  that  rightfully  belonged  to  his  uncle.  But  this  is  a 
separate  story.  Not  hearing  from  Barren,  and  receiving 
no  news  from  their  country  for  a  long  time,  the  unhappy 
prisoners  deemed  themselves  deserted,  and  indulged  in  the 
most  desperate  plans  and  projects  for  escape,  one  of  which 
was  to  break  jail  and  storm  the  castle  of  the  Bashaw. 
But,  owing  to  the  watchfulness  of  the  guards,  nothing 
was  accomplished,  and  black  despair  settled  down  upon 
them. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

AT  last  word  was  brought  again  through  Mr.  Nlssen 
that  General  Eaton,  an  officer  of  the  American  army,  had 
joined  forces  with  those  of  the  deposed  Bashaw's,  and  that 
they  were  marching  through  the  deserts  of  Libya,  with 
the  intention  of  taking  Tripoli  in  the  rear.  The  Tripolitan 
potentate  displayed  great  consternation  at  hearing  this, 
and  redoubled  his  efforts  to  increase  the  fortifications  in 
and  about  the  city.  But  one  fine  morning  the  Ameri- 
can squadron  appeared  off  the  harbor,  and  glorious  in- 
deed was  the  sight  of  the  flag. 

Negotiations  now  began  in  earnest,  and  the  Bashaw 
appointed  the  Spanish  consul  to  represent  him  in  a  con- 
ference held  on  board  the  frigate  Constitution.  When 
Bainbridge  heard  who  had  been  chosen  he  became  most 
anxious  to  apprise  Commodore  Barren,  Rodgers,  and 
Colonel  Lear,  United  States  Consul  General  to  the  Bar- 
bary  powers,  of  the  Spaniards'  enmity  toward  the  United 
States.  Sidi  Mohammed,  the  wise  and  far-seeing,  also 
doubted  the  good  will  of  the  Bashaw's  emissary,  and  was 
most  anxious  to  come  to  some  terms  of  settlement. 

The  result  of  a  conference  held  in  the  prison  was  that 
Bainbridge  himself  should  solicit  permission  to  pay  a  visit 
to  the  squadron  under  his  parole  of  honor  to  return,  and 
that  his  companions  would  pledge  their  lives  for  the  carry- 
ing out  of  the  promise.  Porter  was  appointed  spokesman, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Nissen  he  obtained  an  in- 
terview with  Sidi  Mohammed.  The  Minister  of  State 

145 


146  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

agreed  that  the  plan  was  a  good  one,  but  doubted  whether 
the  Bashaw  would  consent  to  placing  such  trust  in  any 
one.  As  for  himself,  he  declared  that  he  would  exact  no 
pledge  from  Bainbridge  but  his  own  word  of  honor.  After 
some  deliberation  he  agreed  to  ask  the  Bashaw  to  con- 
sider it,  and  to  use  his  best  offices  in  gaining  a  favorable 
answer  to  the  request.  Thinking  it  might  be  a  good  plan 
to  have  something  to  show,  he  asked  that  the  officers 
would  draw  up  and  sign  a  paper  in  order  that  he  might 
show  it  to  his  High  Mightiness.  It  was  also  thought 
best  for  the  captain  to  accompany  him  to  represent  his 
cause. 

This  Bainbridge  agreed  to,  and  he  was  witness  to  a 
remarkable  scene.  He  had  learned  enough  of  the  lan- 
guage to  understand  what  was  going  forward,  and  his 
respect  and  admiration  for  Sidi  Mohammed  rose  mightily, 
although  he  had  always  considered  him  most  friendly. 

"  Are  you  so  mad  as  to  believe  that  Captain  Bain- 
bridge will  return  after  getting  on  board  a  vessel  of  his 
own  nation,  simply  because  he  has  made  a  declaration  to 
that  effect?  "  asked  the  Bashaw  with  a  sneer. 

The  minister  made  a  low  bow. 

"  You  have  the  pledge  of  his  officers,"  he  answered. 

"  True  enough,"  the  Bashaw  put  in,  "  but  I  value 
Captain  Bainbridge  as  a  prisoner  more  than  all  of  his 
officers  put  together,  and  I  place  no  reliance  on  their 
pledge." 

"  Pray  listen  to  me,"  answered  the  minister.  "  Your 
servant  has  lived  long  in  Christian  countries  and  has  seen 
much  of  their  officers,  and  he  knows  that  the  pledge  of  a 
parole  of  honor  is  not  to  be  broken." 

The  Bashaw  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  have  contracted  a  friendship  for  this  American," 
went  on  Sidi  Mohammed.  "  I  have  full  confidence  in 
his  honor.  You  know  that  I  am  a  Tripolitan  by  birth, 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  147 

that  all  my  affections  are  for  my  country,  and  that  I  would 
propose  no  measure  by  which  it  would  be  injured.  Grant 
Bainbridge's  request,  and  I  will  leave  my  son  in  your 
castle,  and  in  the  event  of  his  not  returning  according  to 
my  promise,  you  can  take  the  head  off  him  whose  life  I 
value  more  than  my  own." 

Although  the  privilege  was  absolutely  unprecedented, 
the  Bashaw  could  not  but  yield  to  these  circumstances. 
But  no  one  about  the  court  believed  that  the  Christian 
would  return,  and  they  considered  Sidi  Mohammed  a 
ruined  man  indeed. 

On  the  first  day  of  June,  1805,  Bainbridge  left  the 
shelter  of  the  castle  in  a  small  boat  and  was  rowed  off  to 
the  fleet.  He  spent  the  day  in  consultation  with  the 
officers,  and  returned  late  at  night  to  the  palace,  where 
he  waited  upon  Sidi  Mohammed,  who  had  not  displayed 
the  slightest  anxiety,  although  the  Bashaw  had  begun  to 
rebuke  him  for  inducing  him  to  place  the  least  reliance 
on  the  word  of  a  "  Christian  dog."  His  surprise  at  see- 
ing Bainbridge  was  ill-concealed.  When  he  heard  the 
terms  upon  which  the  United  States  was  disposed  to  treat 
he  became  furiously  angry  and  declined  to  enter  into  fur- 
ther negotiations,  but  the  next  day  a  special  meeting  was 
held,  and  in  place  of  the  Spaniard,  Mr.  Nissen,  the  Danish 
consul,  was  selected  to  renew  the  negotiations,  and  went 
on  board  the  Constitution  to  confer  with  the  American 
officers.  Without  trouble  they  came  to  an  agreement 
upon  which  to  form  the  basis  of  a  treaty. 

On  the  3d  of  June  the  Bashaw  stated  that  he  was 
ready  to  listen  to  propositions  and  to  consider  whether 
peace  should  be  rejected  or  concluded.  Bainbridge  and 
Mr.  Nissen  were  invited  to  be  present  at  the  council. 
The  meeting  was  held  in  the  large  trial  chamber  of  the 
palace.  The  members  of  the  Bashaw's  cabinet  and  the 
invited  guests  and  representatives  sat  about  arranged  in 


148  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

the  form  of  a  crescent,  the  regent  being  in  the  center, 
his  Prime  Minister  being  on  the  right,  and  the  Minister 
for  State  and  Foreign  Affairs  on  the  left  hand.  The 
strangers  were  invited  to  be  seated,  and  the  Bashaw 
turned  to  Captain  Bainbridge. 

"  In  order  that  everything  shall  be  perfectly  fair,"  he 
said,  "  the  debates  on  the  subject  of  this  treaty  are  to  be 
carried  on  in  French,  and  if  you,  sir,  understand  the  lan- 
guage, you  will  be  able  to  hear  the  opinions  of  my  minis- 
ters from  their  own  mouths.  In  thus  admitting  you  to 
my  private  divan  you  have  received  an  honor  never  before 
conferred  on  a  prisoner  in  Barbary." 

Then  arising  with  a  great  deal  of  dignity,  he  sub- 
mitted the  question  of  "  peace  or  war  with  the  United 
States."  The  various  members  of  the  council  addressed 
the  regent  in  turn  in  well-chosen  words,  in  short  but 
direct  speeches.  After  the  debate  had  continued  to  the 
end  a  vote  was  taken,  and  it  was  seen  that  of  the  eight 
who  had  the  privilege  of  casting  a  ballot,  only  two  were  for 
peace — Sidi  Mohammed  D'Ghiers  and  the  Rais  of  Marine. 
Each  requested  the  privilege  of  adding  a  few  more  re- 
marks, and  with  a  great  deal  of  eloquence  they  pressed 
their  claim,  with  the  result  that  two  of  the  members 
came  over  to  their  side  of  the  question  upon  a  second 
voting.  The  Bashaw  now  arose. 

"  Four  of  you  are  for  peace,"  he  said,  "  and  four  for 
war.  Which  party  shall  I  satisfy?  How  shall  I  act?  " 

He  hesitated  and  resumed  his  seat  as  Sidi  Mohammed 
stepped  forward. 

"  You  are  our  Prince  and  Master,"  the  minister  said, 
making  obeisance.  "  You  have  not  called  us  here  to  dic- 
tate to  you,  but  to  hear  our  opinions.  It  now  remains 
for  you  to  act  as  you  please;  but  let  me  entreat  you,  for 
your  own  interests  and  the  happiness  of  your  people,  to 
make  it  peace." 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  149 

Again  he  bowed  low  and  returned  to  his  seat. 

The  Bashaw  cast  his  eye  about  the  half  circle,  and 
leaning  forward,  took  a  signet  from  the  bosom  of  his 
silken  gown  and  pressed  it  down  upon  the  treaty. 

"  It  is  peace!  "  he  said. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

IT  did  not  take  long  to  ratify  the  treaty,  and  Mr. 
Nissen  brought  it  on  board  the  flagship,  signed  with 
the  Bashaw's  signature  in  due  form. 

Now  it  had  been  nineteen  months  and  more  since  the 
day  that  Bainbridge  and  his  officers  had  found  them- 
selves prisoners.  On  the  morrow  they  would  be  free  men. 
The  news  traveled  quickly  through  the  great  prison  where 
the  crew  were  then  confined.  Cheer  after  cheer  arose 
as  the  Tripolitan  castle  fired  a  salute  of  twenty-one  guns, 
and  from  out  in  the  harbor  the  Constitution  answered  it. 

The  terms  arranged  upon  were,  in  short,  as  follows: 
There  should  be  an  exchange  of  prisoners  "  man  for  man 
so  far  as  they  would  go;  that  the  Bashaw  should  send  all 
the  Americans  in  his  power  on  board  the  squadron  off 
Tripoli;  that  his  subjects  should  be  brought  over  from 
Syracuse  and  delivered  to  him  with  all  convenient  speed; 
and  as  he  had  three  hundred  Americans,  more  or  less,  and 
the  United  States  squadron  one  hundred  Tripolitans, 
more  or  less,  the  American  commissioners  engaged  to 
give  for  the  balance  in  the  Bashaw's  favor  $60,000;  and 
that  a  treaty  of  peace  should  be  made  on  honorable  and 
mutually  beneficial  terms." 

The  crew  were  distributed,  upon  their  release,  among 
the  various  ships  of  the  squadron,  and,  without  loss  of  any 
time,  all  sail  was  made  to  the  northward. 

A  jailer,  a  slave  to  the  Tripolitans,  had  treated  them  so 
kindly  that  they  had  insisted  upon  purchasing  his  free- 

150 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  151 

dom,  and  they  succeeded  in  so  doing  with  the  advance 
money  from  their  wages  to  the  amount  of  seven  hundred 
dollars. 

At  Syracuse  a  court  of  inquiry  was  held  on  board  the 
Constitution,  and  an  investigation  was  made  under  orders 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  in  regard  to  the  loss  of  the 
Philadelphia.  Bainbridge  was  acquitted  immediately  and 
with  honor;  and  as  soon  as  possible  he  returned  to  the 
United  States,  landing  in  Hampton,  Va. 

He  was  received  with  every  mark  of  approbation  by 
the  public  and  by  the  officials  at  Washington,  and  as  soon 
as  Congress  had  been  informed  of  the  high  conduct  of  the 
Danish  consul  they  passed  resolutions  of  thanks  to  him 
for  his  benevolent  actions. 

Although  Bainbridge  was  appointed  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  to  the  command  of  the  navy  yard  of  New 
York,  he  found  that  his  financial  condition  demanded 
attention;  so,  obtaining  a  furlough,  he  embarked  once 
more  in  the  merchant  service,  in  which  he  passed  two 
years.  In  1808  he  returned  to  the  service  and  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  position  left  vacant  by  the  death  of  his  old 
friend  Commodore  Preble.  But  affairs  looked  very 
stormy,  owing  to  the  continued  impressment  of  Ameri- 
can seamen  into  the  service  of  England.  The  Government 
at  last  concluded  to  order  the  best  officers  to  active  duty, 
and  Bainbridge  was  relieved  of  the  command  of  the  Port- 
land station  and  was  ordered  to  repair  on  board  the  frigate 
President,  then  lying  at  Washington.  There  were  many 
repairs  to  be  made,  however,  before  she  was  ready  for  sea, 
and  it  was  not  until  July,  1809,  that  he  started  southward 
on  a  coastwise  cruise. 

As  hostilities  between  our  country  and  England  were 
imminent,  and  in  Bainbridge'smind  unavoidable,  no  trouble 
was  spared  to  make  the  crew  of  the  frigate  under  his 
command  able  and  effective.  During  a  long  and  stormy 


152  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

winter  he  kept  at  sea,  and  when  he  returned  in  May  of 
the  next  year  no  better  drilled  or  disciplined  body  of  men 
could  have  been  found  afloat.  But  affairs  were  about  as 
usual,  and  war  seemed  no  nearer  than  it  had  for  the  past 
five  or  six  years.  He  was  again  in  need  of  money,  and 
as  the  pay  of  a  captain  in  the  service  at  this  time  was 
less  than  a  hundred  dollars  a  month,  something  had  to 
be  done,  and,  yielding  to  the  strenuous  advice  of  a  num- 
ber of  his  friends,  he  accepted  a  position  once  more  in 
the  merchant  service  and  proceeded  on  a  voyage  to  St. 
Petersburg. 

When  just  inside  the  straits  of  the  Baltic  his  vessel 
was  captured  by  a  Danish  privateer  and  carried  into 
Copenhagen.  As  luck  would  have  it,  he  had  not  been  at 
anchor  more  than  a  few  minutes  whea  who  should  come 
off  to  him  in  a  small  boat  from  the  shore  but  his  old 
friend  Nissen,  of  Tripoli!  The  meeting  between  the  two 
friends  was  cordial  and  their  greetings  more  than  hearty. 

Nissen  said  that  he  had  just  happened  to  hear  that 
the  captured  ship  claimed  to  be  an  American,  and  some 
one  who  landed  from  the  privateer  had  remembered  Bain- 
bridge's  name.  So  at  once  he  had  hastened  to  tender 
his  services. 

"  The  very  strangest  coincidence,  my  dear  sir,"  said 
Mr.  Nissen,  as  he  seated  himself  beside  Bainbridge  in 
the  cabin,  "  is  that  this  very  day — aye,  only  an  hour  ago — 
I  received  the  handsome  urn  which  you  and  the  rest  of 
my  kind  friends,  whom  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting; 
when  they  were  guests  of  the  Bashaw,  had  sent  me.  It 
has  only  now  arrived  owing  to  the  fact  of  our  war  with 
England." 

"Yes,  I  remember,"  returned  Bainbridge;  "we  or- 
dered it  of  a  London  silversmith,  and  I  trust  that  you  will 
live  long  to  possess  it." 

"  Now,  in  regard  to  your  being  taken  for  an  English- 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  153 

man,  and  the  mistake  of  your  being  brought  in  here," 
Nissen  continued,  "  leave  it  all  to  me  and  do  not  worry." 

In  a  few  days  Bainbridge  parted  from  his  old  friend 
and  went  on  to  St.  Petersburg,  Nissen  having  com- 
pleted all  arrangements  for  his  release. 

His  first  voyage  proving  very  successful,  Bainbridge 
crossed  the  seas  again  to  the  same  place.  As  he  had  been 
commissioned  to  undertake  some  valuable  commercial 
negotiations,  he  determined  to  spend  the  winter  at  the 
capital,  but  hearing  the  news  of  the  action  that  took  place 
between  his  old  command  the  frigate  President  and  the 
English  sloop-of-war  Little  Belt,  he  perceived  at  once 
that  hostilities  would  surely  follow,  and  throwing  aside 
all  his  business  responsibilities,  he  determined  to  report 
himself  at  Washington  as  soon  as  he  possibly  could. 

During  the  winter  the  Baltic  is  closed  to  navigation 
and  freezes  over,  and  the  only  way  for  a  traveler  to  reach 
the  sea  was  by  sledge  overland  through  Sweden  to  Gothen- 
burg. The  story  of  this  journey  would  make  a  long  tale 
in  itself.  Bainbridge  was  placed  under  the  protection  of 
the  Russian  Government,  and  after  various  adventures 
and  great  suffering,  which  included  a  severe  cold  and  injury 
received  from  falling  over  a  precipice  with  his  carriage — 
for  he  had  traveled  by  sledge,  rowboat,  horseback,  and 
coach  in  this  journey — with  great  difficulty  he  arrived 
at  his  destination.  On  the  3ist  of  December  he  set  sail 
on  a  merchant  vessel,  after  resting  for  eleven  days  in  the 
harbor  in  company  with  a  number  of  English  men-of-war. 

Bad  fortune  seemed  to  pursue  him.  Off  the  coast  of 
Jutland  three  of  the  Englishmen  were  lost  in  a  severe 
storm,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that  Bainbridge 
obtained  some  influence  over  the  commander  of  the  ves- 
sel upon  which  he  was  a  passenger,  she  too  would  un- 
doubtedly have  been  lost.  It  was  found  necessary  to  put 
back  to  the  coast  of  Norway, 
ii 


154  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

On  the  1 3th  of  January,  1812,  the  brig  was  again 
struck  by  a  heavy  gale  while  passing  through  the  chan- 
nel between  the  Orkneys  and  the  Shetland  Islands.  The 
English  captain,  hearing  the  cries  that  there  were  breakers 
on  the  port  bow,  immediately  began  to  sing  out  orders 
that  Bainbridge,  who  was  standing  near  him,  perceived 
would  cause  the  vessel  to  be  upon  the  rocks.  Without 
leave  or  permission,  and  before  the  crew  had  time  to  obey 
their  captain,  he  had  countermanded  the  latter's  orders; 
and  the  man  at  the  helm,  remembering  Bainbridge's 
action  of  a  few  days  previous  to  this,  kept  the  vessel  on 
her  course,  with  the  result  that  the  rocks  were  passed  and 
danger  averted. 

After  landing  in  England,  Captain  Bainbridge  made 
all  haste  to  Liverpool,  stopping  only  for  a  visit  to  the 
American  minister  in  London,  to  whom  he  delivered  dis- 
patches. On  the  1 2th  of  February  he  arrived  at  New 
York,  proceeding  at  once  to  Washington,  where  he  re- 
ported himself  ready  for  active  service. 

Congress  was  just  at  that  moment  deliberating  on  the 
subject  of  declaring  war  against  Great  Britain,  and  Bain- 
bridge learned,  to  his  great  sorrow  and  chagrin,  that  in 
a  Cabinet  council  it  had  been  determined  to  lay  up  all 
our  frigates  and  vessels  of  war  in  ordinary,  it  being 
thought  better,  forsooth,  to  save  what  little  we  had  rather 
than  risk  losing  our  small  force  in  action  with  the  gigantic 
navy  at  the  disposal  of  King  George. 

Bainbridge  luckily  met  in  Washington,  Captain 
Charles  Stewart,  a  brave  fighter,  and,  after  a  consultation, 
he  proposed  that  they  should  draw  up  a  paper  remonstrat- 
ing strongly  against  the  measure  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy.  They  rehearsed  the  consequences  and  the  depress- 
ing effects  of  such  action,  and  stated  that  the  officers  of 
the  service  would  feel  personally  wronged  if  they  were 
not  permitted  to  at  least  court  some  of  the  dangers  which 


COMMODORE    BA1NBRIDGE.  155 

their  companions  on  land  were  facing.  Altogether  they 
made  an  able  defense  of  their  position,  and  the  letter 
accomplished  its  purpose — the  vessels  were  not  laid  up  as 
had  been  intended. 

Being  assured  that  he  had  succeeded,  much  relieved, 
Bainbridge  hastened  to  assume  his  post.  He  found  the 
Charleston  yard  in  a  bad  condition,  but  he  at  once  began 
to  make  extensive  changes,  and  to  prepare  for  building 
a  large  naval  station. 

While  in  the  midst  of  these  operations  the  expected 
news  was  brought  to  him  of  the  declaration  of  war  that 
had  been  passed  on  the  i8th  of  June,  1812,  by  the  United 
States  against  Great  Britain.  A  land  post  was  not  the 
place  for  a  man  of  Bainbridge's  disposition.  At  once 
he  applied  to  be  sent  to  sea,  and  requested  that  he  be 
given  command  of  one  of  the  frigates  soon  to  be  in  readi- 
ness. The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  ordered  him  to  the  Con- 
stellation, and  he  was  directed  to  proceed  to  Washington 
and  fit  her  out  with  all  dispatch. 

Before  long  the  Constellation  was  almost  ready  to  go 
to  sea,  and  Bainbridge  returned  to  Charleston  to  make 
arrangements  for  leaving  his  family  before  going  upon 
a  cruise.  He  had  been  but  three  days  in  Boston  when 
in  sailed  Hull  in  the  Constitution,  and  the  news  of  the 
victory  over  the  Guerriere  flew  about  the  town. 

Bainbridge  hastened  at  once  to  meet  with  and  con- 
gratulate his  old  friend,  and  there  he,  to  his  intense  excite- 
ment, heard  that  Hull  intended  to  remain  on  shore  for  a 
few  months  to  attend  to  some  private  affairs. 

The  Constitution  was  then  the  pride  of  the  navy.  She 
was  a  better  sailer  and  a  finer  ship  in  every  way  than  the 
Constellation;  and  as  soon  as  Bainbridge  found  that  Hull 
intended  to  give  her  up,  he  applied  to  Secretary  Hamilton 
for  the  command  of  her.  His  request  was  granted,  and,  to 
his  delight,  Bainbridge  found  that  he  had  been  appointed 


156  COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 

to  the  command  of  a  small  squadron  of  three  vessels,  con- 
sisting of  his  own  vessel,  the  Hornet  under  the  command 
of  his  old  shipmate  Lawrence,  and  the  Essex  under  the 
command  of  Porter,  who  had  suffered  in  Tripoli  with 
him.  A  rendezvous  was  appointed,  and  on  the  fifteenth 
day  of  September,  1812,  Bainbridge  flew  his  first  blue 
pennant.  Porter,  who  was  then  at  anchor  in  the  Dela- 
ware, was  directed  to  set  sail  for  the  Cape  Verd  Islands, 
stop  at  Porto  Praya,  a  bay  in  the  island  of  Santiago,  and 
from  whence  he  was  to  proceed  to  the  island  of  Fernando 
de  Noronha.  And  if  the  Essex  did  not  meet  with  theCon- 
stitution  and  Hornet  at  the  last-named  port,  Porter  was 
ordered  to  touch  at  the  island  of  St.  Catherine,  and  if 
unsuccessful,  cruise  to  the  southward,  his  only  orders 
being  to  use  judgment  and  to  annoy  the  enemy's  com- 
merce. 

It  was  the  26th  of  October  when  the  Constitution  and 
Hornet  sailed  from  Boston  together.  Fair  weather  was 
met  with,  and  the  two  vessels  reached  Fernando  de  No- 
ronha early  in  December.  For  some  time  they  waited 
hoping  that  the  Essex  would  join  them.  The  island  is 
a  penal  colony  of  Portugal;  it  was  not  a  pleasant  anchor- 
age, nor  was  their  position  exactly  agreeable  to  Bain- 
bridge,  for  he  was  compelled  to  sail  under  false  colors, 
something  distasteful  to  his  nature.  The  Portuguese 
Government  was  then  in  league  with  Great  Britain,  and 
both  the  Constitution  and  the  Hornet  flew  the  English 
flag.  Bainbridge  was  representing  himself  as  Captain 
Kerr  of  his  Majesty's  ship  Acasta  of  forty-four  guns,  and 
the  Hornet  pretended  to  be  the  Morgiana  of  twenty 
guns. 

It  was  impossible  to  obtain  a  supply  of  fresh  water  at 
this  place,  and  so  Bainbridge  determined  to  sail  away, 
leaving  a  letter  addressed  to  "  Sir  James  Yeo,"  which  was 
the  name  agreed  upon  that  Porter  would  take  if  he 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


stopped  at  the  island.     Bainbridge  bade  farewell  to  the 
Governor  and  made  off  for  San  Salvador. 

Although  Commandant  Porter  received  the  missive 
left  for  him,  and  followed  out  the  instructions  contained 


Cruise  of  the  Constitution,  Hornet  and  Java. 

therein,  he  did  not  have  the  fortune  of  running  across 
his  superior  officer,  and  following  the  dictates  of  his  own 
judgment,  he  sailed  on  that  remarkable  cruise  into  the 
waters  of  the  Pacific. 

Captain  Lawrence  entered  the  harbor  of  San  Salvador 
leaving  the  Constitution  anchored  at  the  entrance.  His 
instructions  were  to  ascertain  through  the  United  States 
consul  the  disposition  of  the  Government  of  Brazil  toward 
the  United  States,  and  also  to  find  out  if  there  were  any 


158  COMMODORE    BA1NBRIDGE. 

British  cruisers  on  the  coast,  and  what  chance  there  was 
of  picking  up  a  British  merchantman.  He  had  not  landed 
from  his  vessel  when  he  saw  under  the  lee  of  a  small  island 
in  the  inner  harbor  a  fine,  loftily  sparred  sloop  of  war  of  a 
few  more  tons  burden  than  his  own,  but  not  large  enough 
to  frighten  him.  Asking  who  she  was,  he  was  informed 
that  it  was  his  Majesty's  corvette  Bonne  Citoyenne,  the 
"  Good  Citizeness,"  and  Mr.  Hill,  the  American  consul, 
informed  him  confidentially  that  the  English  ship  was 
laden  with  specie  and  had  been  ready  to  sail  for  two  or 
three  days,  her  destiny  being  England. 

When  Lawrence  had  an  opportunity  to  speak  to  Bain- 
bridge  he  informed  him  joyfully  of  the  news,  and  re- 
quested permission  to  use  every  means  to  bring  off  an 
action  between  the  Hornet  and  the  English  vessel. 

Bainbridge  gave  his  consent  at  once,  and  eagerly  Law- 
rence made  preparations  for  the  action  that  he  thought 
was  surely  to  take  place.  The  next  day  Bainbridge,  think- 
ing, perhaps,  it  would  be  an  inducement  for  the  Bonne 
Citoyenne  to  leave  her  anchorage  and  come  out  and  fight, 
sailed  away,  and  Lawrence  immediately  sent  the  follow- 
ing communication  in  to  Consul  Hill: 

"  When  last  I  saw  you  I  stated  my  wishes  to  meet  the 
Bonne  Citoyenne,  and  authorized  you  to  make  it  known 
to  Captain  Green.  I  now  request  you  to  state  to  him,  and 
pledge  my  honor,  that  neither  the  Constitution  nor  any 
other  American  vessel  will  interfere." 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE  British  consul  without  delay  transmitted  the  com- 
munication he  had  received  from  Consul  Hill  to  Captain 
Green,  but  the  English  officer  proved  to  be  a  very  prudent 
man  indeed,  for  he  replied  that  while  he  did  not  doubt  that 
he  would  be  successful  should  a  combat  take  place  between 
his  own  vessel  and  the  Hornet,  he  really  doubted  that 
Commodore  Bainbridge  would  abstain  from  taking  a  hand, 
for  the  reason  that  the  "  Paramount  duty  which  he  (Bain- 
bridge)  owes  to  his  country  would  prevent  him  from  be- 
coming an  inactive  spectator  and  seeing  a  ship  belonging 
to  the  very  squadron  under  his  orders  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy." 

When  the  American  consul  had  read  Captain  Green's 
reason  for  not  wishing  to  meet  Lawrence,  he  wrote  imme- 
diately to  his  British  friend,  stating  that  Bainbridge  had 
given  assurance  that  he  would  confirm  Captain  Lawrence's 
statement,  making  use  of  the  following  words:  "  If  Cap- 
tain Green  wishes  to  try  equal  force,  I  pledge  my  honor  to 
give  him  an  opportunity  by  being  out  of  the  way  or  not  in- 
terfering." 

Nevertheless,  Green  kept  the  harbor,  and  Lawrence  as- 
siduously blockaded  him.  The  Governor  of  Bahia,  Count 
d'Arcos,  had  displayed  a  very  unfriendly  attitude  toward 
the  United  States,  and  objected  to  the  Hornet's  anchoring 
in  the  harbor.  Bainbridge,  hearing  of  this  and  waxing 
wroth,  as  soon  as  he  returned  wrote  a  strong  letter  of  re- 
monstrance to  the  count,  and  then  again  he  set  out  alone 

159 


i6o 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE. 


in  the  Constitution  after  sending  the  following  order  to 
the  waiting  Lawrence:  "  I  shall  keep  off  the  land  to  the 
northward  of  latitude  12'  20",  when  you  will  meet  me 
there,  except  you  have  great  reason  to  believe  the  Bonne 
Citoyenne  is  coming  out.  In  that  case  watch  close  and 
join  me  on  Saturday  next.  May  glory  and  success  attend 
you." 

This  was  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  December,  and 
three  days  later  Bainbridge  found  the  chance  that  he  had 
so  long  been  waiting  for. 

It  was  9  A.  M.,  with  a  fine  sailing  breeze  blowing, 
and  the  shore  of  Brazil  bore  about  ten  leagues  off  on  the 


port  hand  when  two  sails  were  sighted  on  the  weather  bow. 
They  were  very  distant,  and  it  took  over  an  hour's  sailing 
to  determine  their  character.  Then  Lieutenant  Aylwin 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE.  161 

reported  to  the  cabin  that  the  strangers  were  evidently 
large  ships,  and  as  the  Constitution  approached  they 
parted  company;  one  stood  on  to  meet  her,  and  the  other 
made  in  to  the  land. 

Lieutenant  Parker,  of  the  Constitution,  at  first  thought 
that  the  approaching  vessel  might  be  the  Essex,  but  Bain- 
bridge,  after  a  careful  look  through  the  glass  declared  her 
to  be  British,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  he  tacked  to  the  south- 
ward and  eastward,  hauling  up  his  mainsail  and  taking  in  his 
royals  in  order  to  give  the  stranger  an  opportunity  to  draw 
nigh.  In  half  an  hour  he  made  the  private  signal  for  the 
day,  and  perceiving  that  it  was  not  answered,  he  imme- 
diately set  his  mainsails  and  royals  again,  and  made  prepa- 
rations to  get  out  his  studding  sails.  Observing  one  of 
the  officers  cast  a  curious  look  up  aloft,  Bainbridge  turned 
and  spoke  to  him  laughingly: 

"  It  was  merely  to  draw  our  friend  off  the  coast  and 
away  from  his  consort,"  indicating  the  ship  well  inshore 
"  We  will  be  exchanging  compliments,"  he  added,  "  in  two 
hours  or  less,  and  I  hope  that  before  sundown  we  will  have 
given  a  good  account  of  ourselves."  And  by  sundown 
indeed  they  had. 

Probably  the  commander  of  the  English  frigate,  for 
such  she  had  now  proved  herself  beyond  a  doubt,  supposed 
that  the  American  (the  Constitution  had  flown  her  flag 
for  an  hour  before  it  was  answered)  wished  to  escape  him. 
But  if  this  was  his  idea  he  was  soon  deprived  of  it. 

"  Shorten  sail,  Mr.  Parker,"  said  Bainbridge  quietly. 
"  We'll  tack  ship  in  about  ten  minutes.  Clear  decks  for 
action,  sir!  " 

It  was  a  grand  sight  to  see  these  two  fine  frigates  ap- 
proaching one  another.  The  day  was  bright,  their  colors 
shone,  and  the  crews  were  standing  at  the  guns  stripped  to 
the  waist.  The  sanded  decks  and  the  grim  tables  laid  out 
below  in  the  cockpit  were  notes  that  were  entirely  out  of 


162  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 


accord  with  Nature's  aspect.  There  was  an  anxious  mo- 
ment when  it  seemed  that  the  other  vessel  wished  to  avoid 
a  meeting.  But  it  was  soon  seen  that  this  was  but  a  feint ; 
the  oncoming  Britisher,  who  now  had  a  flag  flying  at  her 
peak  and  mizzenmast-head,  intended  raking.  The  Con- 
stitution wore,  and  cleverly  avoided  her. 

"  Well  that's  a  strange  thing!  "  remarked  Lieutenant 
Aylwin  who  had  been  a  midshipman  on  board  the  Consti- 
tution in  her  fight  with  the  Guerriere.  "  See,  she  has  low- 
ered all  her  flags  except  the  jack  at  the  mizzenmast-head!  " 
He  glanced  aloft  at  the  spars  of  his  own  ship. 

From  every  masthead,  from  the  peak,  and  from  two 
places  in  the  shrouds,  fluttered  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 
Nearer  the  two  frigates  approached  in  dead  silence.  It 
was  generally  customary  for  vessels  of  the  American  and 
English  service  to  go  into  action  cheering;  but  no  one 
seemed  disposed  to  lead  off  on  the  Constitution — it  was 
too  early  in  the  game. 

At  2  P.  M.  the  distance  between  the  ships  was  less 
than  half  a  mile.  Bainbridge  sent  an  order  to  the  offi- 
cer in  charge  of  the  third  division,  ordering  him  to  fire 
a  gun  ahead  of  the  enemy,  in  order  to  make  him  show 
his  colors.  No  sooner  was  this  done  than  the  English- 
man replied  with  a  broadside,  and  ran  his  flag  up  to  the 
peak  again. 

For  fully  five  minutes  the  Constitution  did  not  reply; 
but  when  she  had  her  antagonist,  who  was  well  to  leeward, 
within  grapeshot  distance  she  began  the  action  in  earnest, 
and  in  the  first  few  exchanges  it  appeared  that  matters  were 
going  hard  indeed,  for  she  appeared  to  have  the  worst 
of  it.  Bainbridge  was  talking  to  Lieutenant  Parker,  when 
suddenly  the  latter  saw  him  flinch  and  drop  his  hand  to 
his  side.  But  he  continued  the  conversation,  remarking 
the  good  effect  of  the  Constitution's  gunnery  upon  the 
enemy. 


COMMODORE    BAINBR1DGE.  163 

"'You  are  wounded,  Captain  Bainbridge!"  exclaimed 
the  lieutenant,  suddenly  glancing  down. 

Bainbridge  was  pressing  his  hand  tightly  against 
his  hip. 

"  It's  nothing,"  he  said;  "at  least  'tis  not  dangerous, 
I'm  sure.  Call  no  attention  to  it,  sir!  "  There  was  the 
ring  of  an  order  and  not  an  entreaty  in  his  words. 

Parker  saluted  and  said  nothing  further.  At  this  mo- 
ment a  round  shot  from  one  of  the  enemy's  after  guns  en- 
tered a  port,  struck  the  breech  of  one  of  the  carronades, 
and  then  bounded  like  lightning  across  the  deck.  In  a 
second  the  air  was  full  of  splinters.  They  rose  like  a  cloud 
of  dry  dust.  Bainbridge  and  the  officers  on  the  quarter- 
deck hurried  forward  to  see  what  damage  had  been  done. 
The  wheel  had  been  shot  away  completely!  The  quarter- 
master and  the  seamen  who  were  at  the  spokes  were  lying 
badly  wounded  on  the  deck.  At  first  glance  this  loss 
would  have  seemed  quite  irreparable. 

"  There's  more  than  one  way  to  steer  a  ship!  "  Bain- 
bridge exclaimed.  "  Order  eight  men  down  into  the  after 
hold,  and  station  three  midshipmen  on  the  after  compan- 
ion ladders  to  pass  the  word." 

During  the  rest  of  the  engagement  the  Constitution 
was  handled  by  means  of  steering  tackles  from  below. 

The  way  her  guns  were  now  replying  to  the  constant 
fire  of  the  English  frigate  delighted  Bainbridge's  heart. 
They  were  served  with  precision  and  trained  with  accuracy, 
and  as  he  attempted  to  close,  the  Englishman's  jib  boom 
was  shot  away,  then  the  bowsprit,  and  at  five  minutes  past 
three  down  came  his  foremast  by  the  board!  Only  a  few 
minutes  before  this  happened  the  Constitution  had  crossed 
her  antagonist's  bows  so  close  as  to  foul  her  mizzen  rig- 
ging. 

Bainbridge  had  again  been  wounded,  this  time  by  a 
copper  bolt,  which  was  driven  with  great  force  into  his 


164  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

thigh;  but  he  would  not  leave  the  deck,  and  scarcely 
would  he  permit  the  surgeon  to  attend  to  him,  so  en- 
grossed was  he  in  handling  ship. 

It  would  take  a  seaman's  knowledge  to  follow  the  vari- 
ous manoeuvres  of  the  latter  part  of  the  action.  Bain- 
bridge's  journal  speaks  of  the  succession  of  incidents  in  the 
following  laconic  fashion:  "  It  was  five  minutes  past  three 
when  the  enemy's  foremast  was  shot  away.  At  fifteen 
minutes  past  three,  shot  away  his  main-topmast  just  above 
the  cap.  At  forty  minutes  past  three,  shot  away  the  gaff 
and  spanker  boom.  At  fifty-five  minutes  past  three,  shot 
away  his  mizzenmast  nearly  by  the  board.  At  five  minutes 
past  four,  having  silenced  the  fire  of  the  enemy  completely, 
and  the  colors  in  his  main  rigging  being  down,  we  supposed 
that  he  had  struck.  We  then  hauled  down  our  courses 
and  shot  ahead  to  repair  our  rigging,  which  was  extremely 
cut,  leaving  the  enemy  a  complete  wreck;  soon  afterward 
discovered  that  the  enemy's  flag  was  still  flying.  Hove  to 
to  repair  some  of  our  damage.  At  twenty  minutes  past 
four,  wore  ship  and  stood  for  the  enemy.  At  twenty-five 
minutes  past  five,  got  very  close  in  a  very  effectual  raking 
position  athwart  his  bows,  and  when  about  to  fire  he  most 
prudently  struck  his  flag,  for  had  he  suffered  the  broadside 
to  have  raked  him  his  additional  loss  must  have  been  ex- 
tremely great  as  he  lay  an  unmanageable  wreck  upon  the 
water." 

As  soon  as  it  was  seen  that  the  English  frigate  was  a 
prize,  the  Constitution's  crew  broke  out  into  loud  and  con- 
tinued cheering.  Bainbridge  turned  to  Lieutenant 
Parker  with  a  smile  of  satisfaction  and  ordered  him  to 
lower  away  the  first  cutter,  which  was  the  only  boat  capa- 
ble of  floating.  Soon  she  was  alongside,  and  her  crew 
tumbled  into  her  most  eagerly. 

It  was  seven  o'clock  when  Lieutenant  Parker  returned, 
bringing  with  him  Lieutenant  Chads,  first  of  his  Majesty's 


COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE.  165 

thirty-eight-gun  frigate  Java;  Lieutenant-General  Hislop, 
Governor  of  Bombay;  and  Major  Walker  and  Captain 
Wood,  of  his  staff.  Lieutenant  Chads,  who  was  slightly 
wounded,  brought  the  message  that  his  commander  was 
too  badly  hurt  to  be  moved.  Hearing  that  the  loss  of  life 
on  board  the  Java  had  been  extremely  great,  and  taking 
into  account  the  complete  wreck  to  which  she  had  been 
reduced,  every  exertion  was  now  made  for  transferring  the 
prisoners  and  wounded,  for  it  was  determined  to  destroy 
her  instead  of  trying  to  bring  her  into  port. 

The  wounded  Captain  Lambert  was  brought  over 
and  placed  in  Bainbridge's  own  cabin,  and  everything 
was  done  to  alleviate  his  sufferings.  Despite  his  own 
painful  wounds,  the  American  captain  did  not  leave 
the  deck  until  after  eleven  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  en- 
gagement. 

There  has  been  not  a  little  controversy  in  regard  to  the 
numbers  engaged  in  the  action  on  both  sides.  The  Con- 
stitution was  undoubtedly  the  superior  in  the  number  of 
guns  and  men.  She  carried  fifty-four  guns  and  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  men  composed  her  crew,  of  whom  nine 
were  killed  and  twenty-five  wounded.  The  Java,  despite 
her  rating  as  a  thirty-eight,  carried  forty-seven  guns  and 
four  hundred  and  twenty-six  men,  out  of  which  she  lost 
sixty  killed  and  one  hundred  and  one  wounded. 

The  next  morning  the  Java  was  blown  up,  and  the  Con- 
stitution was  so  little  injured  that  she  was  in  readiness  to 
begin  another  action  if  it  were  necessary.  Both  captains 
were  now  dangerously  ill,  and  poor  young  Lieutenant  Ayl- 
win  had  died  from  severe  wounds  only  a  few  hours  after 
the  Java  had  struck  her  flag.  Under  Bainbridge's  direction 
everything  was  done  that  could  possibly  help  to  the  com- 
fort of  the  wounded  prisoners,  and  it  was  decided  to  land 
them  all  under  parole  at  Bahia. 

Just  before  the  landing,  when  the  English  captain  was 


166  COMMODORE    BAINBR1DGE. 

brought  up  on  deck,  Bainbridge,  supported  by  surgeon 
Evans  and  Lieutenant  Shubrick,  approached  the  cot 
upon  which  Lambert  lay.  Placing  the 
sword  that  had  been  surrendered  to  him 
beside  the  suffering  man,  he  leaned  over 
him,  and  with  great  emotion  spoke  as 
follows : 

"  I  return  your  sword,  my  dear  sir, 
with  my  sincerest  wish  that  you  will  recover 
and  wear  it,  as  you  have  hitherto  done,  with 
honor  to  yourself  and  to  your  country." 

Lambert  murmured  his  thanks,  and 
grasped  Bainbridge's  hand  in  his  feeble 
fingers. 

General  Hislop  presented  to  Bainbridge 
a  handsome  sword,  not  in  surrender,  but  in 
token  of  gratitude  for  his  conduct  and  treat- 
ment of  those  unfortunates  whom  the  fate 
of  war  had  placed  in  his  keeping. 

The  cordial  relations  established  be- 
tween Bainbridge  and  the  Governor  Gen- 
eral were  of  a  lasting  character,  and  the 
latter  was  always  proud  to  speak  of  the 
American  captain  as  his  friend. 

When  the  Constitution  arrived  off  San 
Salvador  she  found  the  little  Hornet  still 
maintaining  the  blockade  of  the  port,  and 
there  Bainbridge  left  her.      As  the  Essex 
had    failed    to    keep    her    rendezvous,    he 
Sword  "presented  deemed   it   best    to   return    to   the   United 
to    Bainbridge  States,  and  so  he  set  sail  on  the  6th  of  Janu- 
by  Gen.  Hislop  ary,    1813.     On  the  27th  of  the  following 
month  he  arrived  in  Boston,  and  from  a  pa- 
per published  t\vo  days  after  his  arrival  the  following  ex- 
tract is  taken: 


Bainbridge's  reception  at  Boston. 


COMMODORE    BAIN  BRIDGE.  167 

"  Captain  Bainbridge  landed  at  the  Long  Wharf  amid 
loud  acclamations  and  roaring  of  the  cannon  from  the 
shore.  All  the  way  from  the  end  of  the  pier  to  the  Ex- 
change Coffee  House  was  decorated  with  colors  and 
streamers. 

A  procession  was  formed  in  Faneuil  Hall  by  Major 
Tilden  and  was  escorted  by  the  Boston  Light  Infantry 
and  the  Winslow  Blues.  Decorations  and  streamers  were 
strung  across  State  Street,  while  the  windows  and  the 
tops  of  the  houses  were  filled  with  spectators.  Captain 
Bainbridge  was  distinguished  by  his  noble  figure  and 
by  his  walking  uncovered.  On  his  right  hand  was  the 
veteran  Captain  Rodgers,  and  on  his  left  Brigadier-General 
Welles;  then  followed  the  brave  Captain  Hull,  Colonel 
Blake,  and  a  number  of  officers  and  citizens.  But  the 
crowd  was  so  immense  that  it  was  difficult  to  keep  the 
order  of  the  processions.  The  band  of  music  in  the  bal- 
cony of  the  State  Bank  and  the  music  of  the  New  England 
Guards  had  a  fine  effect. 

On  the  2d  of  March  a  splendid  public  dinner  was 
given  in  the  Exchange  Coffee  House  to  Captain  Bain- 
bridge and  his  officers.  The  procession  was  formed  at 
Faneuil  Hall  and  was  escorted  amid  the  applause  of  the 
citizens  by  a  battalion  composed  of  the  Boston  Light  In- 
fantry and  the  Winslow  Blues,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Sargeant.  Before  sitting  down  to  the  table  the  blessing 
of  Almighty  God  was  asked  in  a  most  impressive  manner 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Holley." 

Although  the  victory  over  the  Java  was  the  culmi- 
nating deed  of  Commodore  Bainbridge's  career,  he  lived  to 
serve  his  country  longer,  and  the  results  of  his  good  judg- 
ment and  nautical  skill  in  the  building  of  navy-yard  docks 
and  in  the  revision  of  the  signal  code  were  of  great  value  to 
the  service. 

From  his  example  many  young  officers  profited,  and 


i68  COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE. 

from  the  teachings  of  his  life  those  now  living  can  learn 
the  proper  meaning  of  patriotism.  His  last  words,  spoken 
in  delirium,  were  an  index  to  his  character.  "  Call  all 
hands."  cried  he,  rising  in  his  bed,  "  and  prepare  to  board 
the  enemy!  " 


THE  END. 


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